The Federation of Saiva (Hindu) Temples UK expressed their dismay at the cremation of a monk in the grounds of a Hindu temple, despite a court injunction prohibiting the funeral rites from being carried out on the temple's premises.
The Federation strongly opposed the cremation as Hindu temples and their grounds are considered to be sacred and called on the President of Sri Lanka to take responsibility "for the sacrilege acts of the Buddhist monk pardoned by him."
The funeral was led by extremist Buddhist monk Gnanasara of the Sinhala nationalist Bodu Bala Sena organisation, recently released from prison after being pardoned by the Sri Lankan government, and attended by dozens of Sinhalese who were transported to the area from the South.
"Without fear or regard, the aggressive monk,Ven Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, presided over the cremation in the holy precincts of the Hindu/Saivite temple in Neeraviyadi. The monk appears to enjoy the freedom to promote hate without a whim of fear and progressing with the succour given by the police to extend his hate mission unabated," the statement added.
Read the full statement here.
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.
