The uniform of the Jaffna task force.
More than a year after he was initially arrested, the mayor of Jaffna has finally been acquitted over charges that he was attempting to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), after he launched blue uniforms for a local task force.
V. Manivannan was initially arrested by Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in April 2021, who claimed the uniforms worn by the task force were similar to those formerly worn by the LTTE's Tamil Eelam Police and were thus an attempt to resurrect the LTTE.
The uniform of the Tamil Eelam Police.
The arrest sparked global outrage at the time, with voices from around the world condemning it.
“If taking steps to uphold the cleanliness of the [district] is a mistake, we will continue to make that mistake,” said the Jaffna mayor at the time.
“Arresting me is disgusting and it disrespects the independence of the [Jaffna] Municipal Council… They claimed I was attempting to recreate the LTTE with the uniforms. But the police have no authority to intervene in the independent activities of the Municipal Council. I am ready to fight a legal battle against the tyranny of the police.”
Though Manivannan was eventually released on bail, the case was never official dropped until last week.
Sri Lanka’s Attorney General's Department finally informed a Jaffna court that the case was not being pursued further.
The task force which was formed with the aim of improving sanitation and to enforce penalties against environmental infractions such as littering and spitting, will now reportedly become operational once more.
