There is a lurking suspicion over the role of “external elements” in the large-scale violence that Jaffna witnessed last week.

The context behind the violence was a recent incident of rape and murder of an 18-year-old schoolgirl in Pungudutivu, west of Jaffna. When the girl’s body was found on May 14, the initial reaction was one of shock and sadness. At that time, Jaffna and other parts silently mourned her death.  “On Tuesday, some individuals asked certain shops and establishments to close down without any notice. It was like a scene in Tamil feature films,” said M. Ravichandran, a member of the Tamil Civil Society Forum in Jaffna.

The next day, the town observed a general strike. But, it was on that day, when the police brought arrested persons to the court complex, a section of the mob, numbering around 400, threw stones at the court buildings and in the process, vehicles were damaged. Some agitators wanted the police to hand over the suspected persons to them.  

“This kind of response was something that was shocking to us. Jaffna is not known for this,” said Mr. Ravichandran, adding that traditionally, people would hold placards, demanding speedy action and justice.

Going by the violent response, he says that one gets suspicion that this may be engineered by the “external elements.” He refuses to elaborate the term “external elements.”

However, this opinion is shared by others too. M.A. Sumanthiran, Member of Parliament representing the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), feels that those who wanted to portray the Northern Provincial Council, TNA and the Central government in poor light were behind the episode.  A top official in the provincial administration, who does not wish to be identified, adds that “it is quite natural for the people to have strong revulsion as a response to the horrendous crime. But, the mischievous elements took advantage of the situation.”

The Wednesday’s events forced Chief Justice of Sri Lanka K. Sripavan to visit the court complex a few days later. Ten senior police officials were transferred immediately. The arrested 130 persons had been taken to Anuradhapura prison. A local court has banned rallies and demonstrations.

Ramiah Yogarajan, the ruling United National Party MP, says the police could have been more alert and there was failure on the part of the police in controlling the situation. This was why the transfer had to be carried out.

On Sunday, an event was held by the Ministries of Children’s Affairs and Justice in Colombo to condole the death of the Pungudutivu schoolgirl.
(The Hindu)