The 37th anniversary of the burning of the Jaffna Public Library was marked at a remembrance event this morning.
Staff at the library and members of the Northern Provincial Council gathered at the library where candles were lit and flowers laid to commemorate the burning, orchestrated by the Sri Lankan state.
Over 95,000 unique and irreplaceable Tamil scripts were destroyed during the burning, carried out by uniformed Sri Lankan security forces. A banner displayed at the memorial, signed by the Eelam Tamil people, said the destruction was an act of genocide.
Those gathered also lay flowers before a portrait of scholar and community leader, Reverend Father David, who reportedly died from shock days after the incineration of his beloved institution.
The burning of the library was also remembered by members of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) party who held an event by the newly built library.
