The former president and secretary of the Vedukkunaari Malai Aathi Shivan Temple in Vavuniya have been summoned for questioning by Sri Lanka’s Counter-Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID), raising renewed concerns over state intimidation of Tamil religious leaders.
Summons letters were delivered on Sunday through the Sri Lankan Police, instructing former temple president Sasikumar and former secretary Tamilchelvan to appear before the CTID office in Vavuniya at 10 a.m. on October 9.
According to the notice, both individuals have been called to provide statements to the division.
It is significant that Sasikumar and Tamilschelvan were previously arrested and remanded on the day of Maha Shivaratri last year, when hundreds of devotees gathered at the Vedukkunaari Malai Aathilingeshwarar Temple for religious observances. Their arrests drew widespread condemnation from Tamil politicians and rights groups, who accused Sri Lankan authorities of using security laws to suppress Tamil religious and cultural events.
Both men were later released by the court, and a new administrative body was subsequently appointed to oversee the temple’s management. The temple has since continued to function under this new leadership.
The Vedukkunaari hill temple, located in Nedunkerni, Vavuniya, has long been a sacred Hindu site for Saiva Tamils. However, in recent years, Sri Lankan authorities, along with Sinhalese Buddhist monks and the military, have been attempting to lay claim to the temple, gradually transforming it into a Buddhist site.
In 2021, Buddhist monks, accompanied by Sri Lankan security forces, placed a Buddha statue at the temple premises, despite opposition from local Tamil residents. In 2023, the Archaeological Department claimed the site as part of Sri Lanka’s “ancient Buddhist heritage” and attempted to prevent Tamil worshippers from conducting Hindu rituals.
