Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) General Secretary and former Eastern Provincial Councillor, Poopalapillai Prasanthan, was arrested by Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officers on 12 November 2020, on alleged witness tampering charges.
Prasanth was arrested by Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officers at his residence due to a complaint made in 2019 for intimidating witnesses in a double murder case in Arayampathy, Kattankudy. Prasanth was also arrested by Kattankudy police in 2008 over the same Arayampathy double murder case but later bailed out.
Prasanth’s case follows the arrest of TMVP paramilitary leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, over the 2005 assassination of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham. Pararajasingham was shot and killed by two armed paramilitary men whilst he was attending Christmas midnight mass in 2005, at the St Mary's church in Batticaloa town. Pillayan who has been accused of committing executions and other human rights abuses, with the support of the Sri Lankan state, has remained in custody for the assassination of Parajasinghan since October 2015.
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