A Tamil driver was forcefully dragged by the Sri Lankan police officers for requesting a traffic fine notice in Tamil language at the Kurumankaattu junction in Vavuniya.
According to information regarding the incident, the driver had parked his vehicle at the Kurumankaattu junction for commercial purposes, at which point traffic police officers instructed him to remove the vehicle from the location.
The driver, who was unloading goods at a nearby commercial establishment, requested a brief grace period. However, the traffic police officers took possession of the vehicle keys and moved the vehicle.
Subsequently, they issued a fine notice in ‘Sinhala,’ citing the reason that the vehicle had been parked in a no-parking zone. This led to a verbal altercation between the driver and the officers after the driver insisted on receiving the fine notice in ‘Tamil’.
This incident has drawn criticism as another example of Sinhala language suppression, highlighting ongoing concerns about the denial of Tamil language rights in official proceedings.
Following the incident, the Vavuniya Traffic Police OIC arrived at the scene and claimed that the driver was obstructing police duties. He then attempted to take the driver to the police station in an auto-rickshaw, which further escalated the situation. When the driver refused to get in, the traffic police allegedly grabbed him by the head and arm, forcibly placed him into the rickshaw, and took him to the Vavuniya Police Station.Legal action has been initiated against the driver by the Vavuniya Traffic Police, and he has been placed under police custody.
The heavy-handedness by the Vavuniya Traffic Police, the driver’s arrest following a simple request for a Tamil-language fine notice, and the subsequent legal action against him have been perceived by many as part of the ongoing systemic discrimination faced by Tamil-speaking citizens. Such actions reinforce longstanding concerns about police brutality, lack of accountability, and the suppression of minority rights in Sri Lanka, sparking public outrage and calls for justice and reform.