The organiser of a hartal in Batticaloa this week, Kanapathipillai Mohan, has been arrested by Eravur police for allegedly inciting the hartal and damaging public property.
The hartal was organised by local businesses and residents to demonstrate against the construction of a bottled water company.
Mohan was called in to the police station for an inquiry regarding the hartal and was arrested at the station.
The hartal follows a protest last month in Eravur, where residents expressed concern the factory would take excessive amounts of water from Batticaloa's local water supplies.
Local council members, Eastern Provincial Council members and religious leaders had participated in the protest.
