JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A local councillor from Sri Lanka’s governing National People’s Power has resigned a day after his arrest over an alleged late-night attack on the home of a retired government official in northern Jaffna.
Santhirakumar Kanesaruban, a member of the Vadamaradchi South West Pradeshiya Sabha, formally notified election and local government authorities of his resignation on Monday, according to a letter announcing his decision.
The letter was addressed to the returning officer in Jaffna and copied to the secretary of the Vadamaradchi South West Pradeshiya Sabha, formally communicating his decision to relinquish his seat.
Kanesaruban did not give a detailed public explanation for his resignation in the material immediately available.
His departure comes after Nelliady police arrested him at about 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, following an emergency call from the occupants of a house belonging to a retired government official.
Kanesaruban and several associates are accused of arriving at the property while intoxicated, entering the premises without permission, throwing stones, damaging property, including CCTV cameras, and threatening those inside.
CCTV footage reviewed by Jaffna Monitor appeared to show Kanesaruban attacking a security camera during the episode.
Police released him on bail at about 7 a.m., roughly six hours after his arrest, on the condition that he appear in court on Sept. 1, a police officer told Jaffna Monitor on Sunday.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned the decision to grant police bail given the allegations and claimed that political pressure had played a role.
Kanesaruban rose politically as the NPP expanded into Tamil-majority areas where the JVP had traditionally been weak.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP swept to power promising a break with Sri Lanka’s entrenched political culture, portraying themselves as an alternative to parties that, they argued, had long protected politically connected local figures from accountability.
Kanesaruban’s case attracted particular attention in Vadamaradchi because several residents told Jaffna Monitor that concerns about his conduct had existed well before Sunday’s episode.
Residents described him as a confrontational local figure and questioned the level of scrutiny applied when the NPP rapidly expanded its organization in the north.
One local commentator alleged that Kanesaruban had previously intimidated police officers by telephone and had been involved in disruptions at District Coordinating Committee meetings.
Earlier this year, Kanesaruban also drew criticism after publishing an AI-generated image depicting President Dissanayake holding a vel, the sacred spear associated with the Hindu deity Lord Murugan, accompanied by the declaration that the president was “equal to Lord Murugan.”
The image angered some Tamils who considered it an inappropriate use of a revered Hindu figure for political glorification.
His resignation also raises a broader question for the NPP in the north: whether the party can hold its own local representatives to the same standards of conduct and accountability it promised voters.
