Sri Lankan police officers have been accused of intimidation and discrimination after intercepting a group of Tamil youths travelling from Jaffna to Vavuniya late last night.
The incident occurred at a checkpoint in Mankulam, where police stopped the vehicle by shining powerful torch lights directly into the eyes of the passengers, causing significant discomfort and distress. When the youths exited the vehicle to protest against the tactic, officers reportedly responded aggressively, stating, "This is how we operate. What can you do about it?"
The young men reminded the officers that Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya had explicitly instructed that vehicles should not be stopped by flashing lights into drivers’ or passengers’ eyes. However, the officers dismissed this, claimed ignorance of any such order, and immediately switched to speaking in Sinhala.
When the youths requested communication in Tamil—an official language of Sri Lanka—the police responded threateningly, stating, "This is Sri Lanka—you must speak in Sinhala. You cannot speak in Tamil here."
Compounding the intimidation, the officers were seen wearing uniforms with their identification badges deliberately concealed. When the youths demanded badge numbers to file a formal complaint with Northern Province Senior DIG Thilak Danapala, the officers retorted, "You can report to him, but nothing will come of it. He can't do anything either. We will not provide our badge numbers."
The incident points to the ongoing culture of impunity within the Sri Lankan police, where even senior oversight appears ineffective or deliberately undermined.
Reports indicate that officers continued the same method of stopping other vehicles, flashing lights directly into drivers’ eyes—despite clear orders against such practices.
This episode follows a recent incident in Vavuniya, where Sri Lankan police officers forcefully dragged a Tamil driver after he requested that a traffic fine notice be issued in Tamil. Tamils routinely face discrimination at the hands of state authorities, who prioritise Sinhala and often deny basic linguistic rights.
The targeting of Tamil-speaking citizens under the Anura Kumara Dissanayake administration has raised serious concerns about the escalating misconduct of the occupying Sri Lankan police in the North-East. Civil society organisations and local residents have repeatedly demanded urgent action to hold law enforcement accountable and to safeguard the rights and dignity of Tamils.
Despite widespread media attention on these issues, authorities have thus far failed to implement meaningful reforms.
