A Sri Lankan police officer sparked widespread condemnation earlier today as he broke centuries of temple rules and tradition, by entering a Hindu temple in Jaffna with his shoes on.
The officer, who was photographed with his shoes on at the Selva Sannidhi Murugan Temple in Thondaimanaru, is reportedly a senior superintendent of the Sri Lankan police in charge of the Kankesanthurai area.
He was reportedly escorting Sri Lanka’s Inspector General of Police C D Wickramaratne, who was visiting Jaffna, a region that continues to be under military occupation.
Photographs of the officer have been shared widely on social media, with many users expressing their shock and anger at his actions.
Sugash Kanagaratnam, the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF)’s legal advisor and lawyer, took to Twitter to express his anger.
ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள முடியாத #கலாசார #அவமதிப்பு... pic.twitter.com/hTm005Vnop
— Kanagaratnam Sugash (@Sugashkanu) October 13, 2021
It comes after Sri Lankan troops were pictured inside the historic Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple with their boots on last year, in yet another incident that caused outrage amongst Hindu Tamils.
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File photographs: Sri Lankan security forces with their shoes on inside the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple last year.
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