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Sri Lankan police stationed in Maruthankerni, Jaffna, have been accused of inhumane treatment after arresting the son of a Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) activist at gunpoint earlier today.
The incident stems from a police-organised meeting reportedly held for local government election candidates within the jurisdiction of the Maruthankerni police station.
Jegatheeswaran Sargunadevi, the organiser for the TNPF in the Vadamaradchi East area, did not attend the meeting. According to reports, Sargunadevi had been invited as a former candidate for the Point Pedro Pradeshiya Sabha elections — however, the TNPF’s nomination papers for the local election had been rejected, and she was no longer a candidate.
Following her absence, police officers allegedly arrived at her residence armed with weapons and demanded to know why she had not attended the meeting. Sargunadevi explained that she was no longer contesting and therefore was not required to be present. Police officers reportedly responded aggressively, insisting that she must comply with police instructions regardless of her current status.
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As tensions escalated, Sargunadevi’s son intervened, asking officers not to threaten his mother. Police then reportedly turned on the youth, dragging him away without a shirt, after it was torn during the altercation. Photographs of the young man being dragged shirtless by the police through the streets have since gone viral.
TNPF leader and Jaffna MP Gajen Ponnambalam took to Twitter to denounce the incident. “Satkunadevi has been repeatedly harassed by the Maruthenkerni police for her strong and incorruptible political activism,” he wrote. “The police have targeted her husband and son and other members of our party with false cases repeatedly, only to be discharged later.”
Jegatheswaran Satkunadevi is the @TnpfOrg’s organiser for the Vadamaradchi East area in Jaffna. She was also a candidate for the Pt. Pedro Pradesiya Sabha elections but the nominations got rejected. A couple of days ago she was informed by the Maruthenkerni Police to attend a… pic.twitter.com/dFkx05vh8H
— Gajen Ponnambalam MP (@GGPonnambalam) April 22, 2025
Ponnambalam added that the arrest had occurred without any explanation, further highlighting a pattern of police harassment targeting Tamil activists and their families.
No official statement has been issued by the police as of yet regarding the incident.