Conflicting claims over Kalmunai abduction as pressure mounts on govt. ahead of Geneva sessions

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam yesterday (20) said that he intended to make a statement in Parliament as regards an alleged abduction attempt in the Kalmunai police area recently.

The Batticaloa district lawmaker said so when The Island sought his response to police headquarters denial of his claim regarding a group of intelligence personnel making an attempt on the evening of 17 Feb., to abduct Arul Gnanamurthi Nidarshan, who had been campaigning for the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The police identified him as a resident of Peyianilaweli.

The government is under heavy pressure to repeal the PTA with even the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka having recently called for the abolition of what it called the draconian law. The HRCSL issued the statement in the wake of the TNA, with the support of the Opposition and civil society, launching a petition demanding the repeal of the PTA. Both the Samagi Jana Balavegaya and SLMC MPs have signed the petition. Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, too, signed the petition.

Challenging the police headquarters statement that had been issued on 18 Feb., Rasamanickam emphasised the responsibility on the part of the government and other concerned parties to examine the wider picture. He said, he stood by his original claim.

Police headquarters said that ASP Kalmunai would inquire into the incident and the circumstances regarding the spread of false information. The police alleged that the MP’s claim and social media comments on the Kalmunai incident were false.

On Thursday, 17 Feb., MP Rasamanickam tweeted an alleged abduction of a young member of the TNA. “Unidentified men who claimed to be part of the state intelligence apparatus attempted to kidnap Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi youth wing assistant secretary Nithanshan in the white van shown in the photo. A complaint has been lodged with the Kalmunai police regarding this. The lawmaker added that Nithanshan had been actively taking part in the ongoing campaign to repeal the PTA.

However, Police headquarters said Arul Gnanamoorthy Nithanshan lodged a complaint following an altercation with another group who was travelling in a white van.

Police said the two persons travelling in the white at the time van were businessmen engaged in motorcycle spare parts trade, and in no way connected with the state intelligence services.

The police denied that Nithanshan had been abducted.

The police said that there had been an argument between the two parties after the motorcyclist Nidarshan collided with the van. The van belonged to the father of the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.

The TNA lawmaker emphasized that intelligence services personnel did not operate in uniform. The MP made reference to the recent accusation by Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith as regards alleged abduction of Catholic activist Shehan Malaka Gamage by the police. MP Rasamanickam said that abductions had been part of the overall strategy over the years to suppress dissent and free expression of views.