New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s Jaffna University Saturday issued a warning to students protesting against the demolition of a statue erected in memory of Tamil civilians who were killed in the last phase of the three-decade-long civil war that ended in 2009 at Mullivaikkal.
Vice Chancellor (VC) of Jaffna University, S. Srisatkunarajah, released a statement saying, “If they do not go by themselves we will deal with them.”
Dozens of students, politicians and locals had gathered at the varsity premises after the memorial, constructed in 2019, was demolished Friday night.
On 18 May 2009, thousands of Tamilians were killed in the final battle between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mullivaikkal. The United Nations had found evidence suggesting that 70,000 Tamils were killed. Sri Lankan census records also indicate that at least 146,679 people are unaccounted for and presumed to have been killed during the military offensive.
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Backlash in India
The demolition also triggered a backlash in India, with many Tamil politicians, across party lines, condemning the incident. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K, Palaniswami, his deputy O. Panneerselvam and DMK President M.K. Stalin blamed the President Gotabaya Rajakpaksa-led Sri Lankan government for the demolition.
“It comes as a big shock that the memorial pillar, set up in memory of university students and people killed mercilessly in Mullivaikkal in the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka has been demolished overnight,” Palaniswami said in a tweet.
Panneerselvam called the incident a “despicable act of racism”, while Stalin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should condemn the demolition, for the sake of Tamils across the world.
The demolition came two days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka where he had stressed on the need for inclusivity in the neighbouring country.
“It is in Sri Lanka’s own interests that expectations of Tamil people for equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka are fulfilled. That applies equally to the commitments made by the Sri Lanka government on meaningful devolution including the 13th amendment of the Constitution,” he said after a meeting with Rajapaksa.
‘Protesters will be dealt with’
In his statement Saturday, Srisatkunarajh said the memorial had to be removed as it was built illegally. “We cannot keep these. Even if we want to lay a small foundation stone we must obtain permission from the relevant ministry,” the statement said.
However, Jaffna University’s former head of the Law Department, K. Gurupuran, accused Srisatkunarajh of playing into the ruling dispensation’s interests.
In a tweet, Gurupuran said, “The previous VC was sacked because he didn’t demolish the monument. I have concrete reasons to believe that one of the pre-conditions for appointment of the new VC by the incumbent President was demolition of this monument.”
VC Srisatkunarajh has, however, denied any political reasons behind the demolition. “Some are seeking political gain here; however, this is something that had to be removed somehow. We cannot keep it. There are small threats, but we will deal with them later. They have come because they are over-enthusiastic. It is illegal for them to threaten us. If they do not go by themselves we will deal with them,” his statement said.
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Seems to have been demolished very soon after our EA Minister’s “successful”
Sri Lanka visit.