The chief priest of the Vedukkunaari Adi Shiva Temple who was among the devotees released from Vavuniya prison earlier this week has been admitted to the Mullaitivu District General Hospital due to an illness he had developed while in prison. 

Tampirasa Madhimukharasa was among the five devotees who led the hunger strike for over five days. The devotees upon being released from prison complained of the deplorable conditions including the lack of water and even food. 

Meanwhile, V.Poobalasingham, a member of the board of trustees in a letter said the Vedukkunaari temple has been under threat since 2017. “Despite the court’s permission, worship has been unjustly restricted,” he said. “We are deeply saddened by the acts of police violence, these actions have dishonoured our religious traditions and rituals.”

He said the actions of the police together with the archaeology department have created an “environment where worship is no longer freely accessible within the temple grounds.” He further said that despite reporting the incidents of vandalism at the temple last year, the perpetrators remain at large. “This reflects the lack of seriousness of authorities in addressing such crimes. Instead, they prioritize the arrest of individuals engaged in religious practices.”

They also mentioned that the actions of the state go beyond the Vedukkunaari temple, where there have been incidents of intimidation and vandalism of other temples in the North-East. “We highlight to the international community that these acts of swiftly converting Tamil worship places identified as archaeological sites into Buddhist sites are part of a greater government program.”

“These egregious activities are supported by the presence of military across the homeland. Thus we demand the immediate withdrawal of the military from Tamil territories.”