Jaffna Mayor on bail | Sunday Observer
Issue over ‘LTTE police uniforms’

Jaffna Mayor on bail

11 April, 2021

Jaffna Mayor V. Manivannan who was taken into custody on the allegation of attempting to revamp the now defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the early hours of Friday (9) was released on bail in the evening on the same day.

Manivannan was taken into custody last Friday following his formation of a special security unit attired in the blue uniform similar to the so-called Police force set up by the LTTE.

According to sources, Mayor Manivannan had not obtained prior permission from the authorities to set up this police unit.

He said that the unit was set up largely to maintain the cleanliness of the Jaffna city and to check on residents neglecting several hygienic guidelines introduced by the JMC following the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, following a complaint made to the Jaffna police against Manivannan, a lawyer by profession was later arrested.

The duo was later detained at the TID Unit until the early hours of Friday as officers conducted a lengthy investigation. Manivannan and Partheepan were later produced before the Jaffna Magistrate A. Peter Paul and enlarged on Rs 200,000 surety bail. Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and President’s Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran along with several other lawyers appeared for Mayor Manivannan and JMC member V. Partheepan.

Police also questioned the five personnel who were recruited into the unit and recovered the blue uniforms. The issue was also brought to the notice of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by Minister of Fisheries and Jaffna district Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda who said that the Mayor had acted on his own without considering the legal implications.

Several Jaffna district parliamentarians also called for the release of Mayor V. Manivannan soon after his arrest.

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