A fisherman in Keppapulavu, Mullaitivu, was assaulted during a visit by Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister, Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, as tensions flared during the Minister’s local government election campaign on 24 April.
Chandrasekaran, who was touring the North-East with National People’s Power (NPP) candidates, visited Keppapulavu where he met with representatives of the Keppapulavu Fishermen’s Association. The visit included an inspection of the deteriorated road that fishermen use to access the Nandikkadal lagoon for their livelihoods — a longstanding grievance for locals.
According to eyewitness accounts, when the minister’s convoy stopped near the house of the Fishermen’s Association chairman, the chairman was invited onto the road for a discussion. Expressing frustration, the chairman told the minister that previous visits by Fisheries officials, including former minister Douglas Devananda, had resulted in no tangible improvements. He warned that unless immediate action was taken to repair the road, the visit would be yet another empty promise.
During the tense exchange, a man in a white shirt — believed to be the Chandrasekaran’s driver — reportedly reacted aggressively. Eyewitnesses and the victim confirmed that the driver assaulted the chairman, grabbing him by the neck and repeatedly kicking him in the back. The attack took place in full view of Chandrasekaran, who reportedly did nothing to intervene.
The chairman later stated that he refrained from lodging a police complaint out of fear, explaining that if someone could assault him so brazenly in front of the minister, lodging a formal complaint would likely lead to further intimidation or retaliation.
The incident quickly spread on social media after a local youth discreetly posted about it on Facebook. In the comments, Nadarasa Vageesan — a key NPP figure in Mullaitivu and assistant to NPP MP Thilakathathan — dismissed the allegations, claiming, “nothing like that happened.” He went on to question whether people were "defending someone who came to assault the minister," sarcastically suggesting that it was a mistake not to have detained the fisherman.
Vageesan further mocked the situation, implying that concerns over the fishermen’s road were misplaced compared to discussions over army-occupied lands, which the minister was supposedly there to address. His comments were condemned as insensitive and dismissive of local grievances.
Speaking at a media briefing in Jaffna, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam strongly condemned the assault and the broader climate of impunity around the minister’s visit.
When questioned by journalists at a separate event in Jaffna, Chandrasekaran responded rudely, making a dismissive gesture and saying, "If you have any questions related to the event, go ahead and ask," before refusing to answer any questions about the assault.
