A Tamil schoolteacher was subjected to eight hours of interrogation by Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Paranthan, as the security forces continued to crackdown on Tamil activists.
Innasimuttu Sathiyaseelan’s alleged "offence" was the creation of a prop for a school sports meet, which included an entrance arch resembling a Thuyilam Illam, or LTTE cemetery, the shape of Tamil Eelam.
The teacher, who is also a member of the Tamil National People’s Front’s (TNPF) Youth, was already questioned about the decoration last year.
In August 2024, staff at Konavil Tamil College in Kilinochchi were subjected to a similar ordeal after students designed an archway resembling a Thuyilum Illam (LTTE cemetery) as part of a school sports event. The archway, entirely student-made, was deemed a threat to national security, triggering a police crackdown.
“This situation causes significant psychological stress to the teachers who are responsible for educating the community,” said Satyaseelan at the time.
“It also represents a restriction on the Tamil community's freedom of expression, showing that the government treats Tamil people as second-class citizens.”
Following the event, officers from Sri Lanka’s counterterrorism unit arrived at the school and subjected teachers to hours of interrogation. Two students, along with their parents, were also summoned by police for questioning.
Despite interventions from the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), which temporarily halted the interrogations, Sri Lankan authorities resumed their harassment just days later. Unidentified vehicles from outside the province were seen surveilling the school, and several teachers were again ordered to report to police stations for questioning.
