A lecturer at the London School of Economics, Dr Rajesh Venugopal, was detained by Sri Lankan immigration officers and questioned by police, who allege he violated his visa regulations.
Dr Venugopal, a British Indian lecturer in South Asian affairs, had travelled to Sri Lanka to attend the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) 13th annual symposium, on post-war development in Asia and Africa, taking place 1-3 September in Colombo.
Ahead of the conference he is understood to have visited Batticaloa, where police allege he enquired about the military presence and military reprisals.
"According to his visa, he does not have permission for this," police spokesperson Ajith Rohana told the BBC's Tamil and Sinhala service.
"After being investigated by the immigration officer, he is now allowed to take part in the conference," Rohana added.
According to Tamilwin, Dr Venugopal was detained at Katunayaka airport on arrival by Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) officers, but his release was later ordered by the Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Sri Lankan police however deny media reports that Dr Venugopal was detained at the airport.
* This article has been corrected to state Dr Rajesh Venugopal is a lecturer at LSE.
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