The Officer in Charge (OIC) at Maruthankerny police station has informed TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam that he is “an accused person” in last week’s Maruthankerny incident and that he may need to be questioned and arrested.
On Friday, a Sri Lankan police intelligence officer wielded his gun at the TNPF leader while he was in Maruthankaerny for a meeting. During the meeting, the organisers were trying to verify everyone’s identity at the meeting, however, two men refused to provide their details which resulted in an argument.
Ponnambalam then intervened saying he has parliamentary privilege and required their identification. However, the two men failed to identify themselves and attempted to run away. When Ponnambalam tried to stop one of the men, he hit the TNPF leader before running away while the other man was caught and apprehended by the crowd.
Another police intelligence officer who was standing in the adjoining school grounds, then pointed a gun towards Ponnambalam. The sports club members yelled out, causing the gun wielder to leave the scene.
Ponnambalam tweeted that he has been asked to produce himself at Maruthankerny police station.
The TNPF leader who was expecting to attend Parliament in Colombo this week, told the OIC that he will contact the Speaker of the Parliament to decide his next steps.
Ponnambalam has spoken to the Deputy Speaker who has confirmed the the police had contacted the Deputy Speaker to inform them that they needed to record a statement from Ponnambalam.
The Deputy Speaker has agreed that Ponnambalam will attend Parliament this week and the next steps will be decided after the next Parliament sessions are over.
Earlier today, two TNPF activists who were present during the Maruthankerny incident on June 2, were arrested by the police.
On the day of the incident, those present, including Ponnambalam, had called on the police to arrest and investigate the
Over recent weeks, the state have ramped up their surveillance and intimidation of TNPF MPs and activists. Last month, TNPF activists were arrested for protesting against the illegal construction of a Buddhist vihara in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna.
