Sri Lankan police officers assaulted two Tamil youths despite them insisting “they did not commit any crimes.”
The head of the Vavuniya Echchankulam police station attacked the youths today in Vavuniya which has sparked fear and unrest across the village.
Youths and villagers congregated and blocked the main road in front of the Echchankulam Pillaiyar Temple and staged a sit-in protest demanding justice for the police brutality. As a result of the protest, the traffic on the main road between Thandikulam and Paalampiddy was blocked for two hours.
Police officers demanded journalists to leave the area and did not allow the youths to report the incident to them.
The journalists were then suddenly assaulted by the police officers after they were informed by the youths “they were attacked without committing any crimes.”
The Vavuniya Superintendent of Police, Vavuniya Chief of Police Deputy Superintendent of Police, and former parliamentarian Charles Nirmalathan and former Northern Provincial Councilor S. Mayuran were present at the scene and spoke with the protesters in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
