Police to probe Batticaloa vandalism

by P. Krishnaswamy

The vandalism in Batticaloa town of the statues of non-violent leader Mahathma Gandhi, founder father of the Scouts Movement Baden Powell and renowned Tamil scholars Swami Vipulananda and Poet Periyathambipillai have come under strong criticism from many political and religious quarters.

The Inspector General of Police has been instructed to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents to identify motives and culprits behind these acts of Vandalism, the External Affairs Ministry said.

The statues of Mahathma Gandhi and Sir Baden Powell that adorned the city for many years, the statue Swami Vipulananda at Anaipandhi Vidyalayam and that of Periyathambipillai at the Zonal Education Office were damaged in the early hours of Friday morning by unidentified persons.

Minister of Environment, Irrigation and Industry of the Western Provincial Council and JHU Legal Advisor Udaya Gammanpila told the Sunday Observer that the statues are those of leaders who inspired the human community for betterment. Their inspirations have a cross-border effect, transcending geographical boundaries, irrespective of whatever religion, ethnicity or political ideologies they belonged to.

Therefore all Sri Lankans should denounce this shameful act and urge the Government to take action to punish the culprits, he said.

Batticaloa MP, Deputy Minister of Child Development and Women's Affairs and Chairman of the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee M.L.A.M. Hisbullah said that he strongly condemned the act which has been committed at a time when peace and communal harmony has been restored in the district and people are living as brothers under democratic governance.

He has taken up the matter with all the authorities concerned so as to bring the culprits to book and to ensure that there are no recurrences of such heinous acts.

Parliamentarian and Deputy Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Basheer Segu Dawood said that the occurrence of the incident just after the adoption of the US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC gives room to believe that is an effort to bring discredit to the Government, at a time when PC elections are being speculated about, he said.