JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Tensions are escalating in Jaffna after S. Sugirthan, chairman of the Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha, accused police of attempting to obstruct efforts to reclaim a public road allegedly occupied by Tissa Rajamaha Viharaya, a Buddhist shrine constructed on disputed civilian land in Thaiyiddy.
Mr. Sugirthan said he was summoned by Palaly Police and warned to abandon efforts to recover Bhavani Veethi, a road legally belonging to the local council but currently enclosed within the premises of the unauthorized Buddhist vihara.
According to local officials, Mr. Sugirthan had commissioned government surveyors on April 28 to formally identify and demarcate the road after confirming through official records that it falls under the jurisdiction of the Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha.
Following the survey, he issued a formal notice to the vihara’s chief monk, demanding that the road be released by May 11. The notice warned that if the obstruction was not removed by the deadline, the Pradeshiya Sabha would dismantle the fence on May 12 and reclaim the public roadway, with any associated costs to be borne by the vihara administration.
The move reportedly prompted the chief monk to file a complaint with Palaly Police, after which Mr. Sugirthan was called in for questioning.
During that inquiry, police allegedly warned him that removing the fence could undermine ethnic harmony and advised him to abandon the effort, cautioning that legal action could follow if he proceeded.
Mr. Sugirthan rejected the warning.
“I am prepared to face legal action,” he said. “We possess documentary proof that this is a Pradeshiya Sabha road. If the vihara administration refuses to release it, we will remove the fence and reclaim it. If the police oppose this, they may challenge us in court.”
