Photographs Tamil Guardian

The Sri Lankan military, special task force and riot police were deployed in Jaffna on Wednesday, citing the ongoing protests over the murder and rape of a Pungudutivu school girl last week.

Riot police fired tear gas into the crowds of protesters who had surrounded the Jaffna court house and threw stones towards it, calling for those responsible to face justice.

The violence has been condemned by the chief minister of the northern province, who said that outside elements were trying to exacerbate the longstanding distrust that existed between the Sri Lankan police and the Tamil people.

"It is our people's democratic right to express their condemnation against the rape and murder of the Pungudutivu student, Vithiya. I too have released my thoughts in a statement already. However, the setting alight of tyres and damaging of public property, using our peaceful protests and demonstrations as an excuse, are grave crimes," the chief minister, C V Wigneswaran was quoted as saying by the Uthayan newspaper.

"People should remain vigilant and find out who is using this sad circumstance to carry out these evil acts."

"For many reasons, it is difficult for our people, then and now, to cooperate with the police. If the police had take immediate action when her parents had complained that she had not come home, then this unfortunate situation would not have happened."

"Our people are angry, asking that even after that, whether the police is being slow and negligent in arresting the perpetrators.

"However, in this situation, we must cooperate with the police [and] not see them as an enemy. It is very clear that there are some malicious people looking for a fight by creating disagreements between us and the police, and trying to sabotage the situation."

Police arrested 127 protesters, confiscating motorbikes and cycles.

Earlier in the day, local businesses remained closed through out the day in order to express their condemnation and calling for the perpetrators to be punished.