Crack down on students activists who have been campaigning against Rajapaksa Government’s plans to militarise the education is continuing in Sri Lanka.
Last few days has seen arresting number of them and police visiting and intimidating family members of activist who are evading arrest.
Some of the arrests as reported by social media follows:
The convener of the Inter-University Students Federation, Wasantha Mudalige, who came out after participating in a televised conversation last night (05) was arrested in front of the media institution without at least forwarding an arrest warrant. The police arrested him without a court warrant. This is abduction on the part of democracy.
The President of the Jayewardenepura University Students’ Union who was attending the protest was arrested. A student of the University of Kelaniya was arrested at the end of the protest. Also, a group of plainclothes people had stopped a returning bus of lecturers at the University of Jayewardenepura and tried to abduct them, acting like a gang in Chicago attempting to abduct people for ransom. ( JVP Sri Lanka)
Twitter feed of the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka @JDS has reported following incidents.
Saroja Savithri Paulraj, a teacher & steering committee member of Progressive Women’s Collective, arrested on Monday (9), after she was summoned to #Matara police station to obtain a statement on her participation in a teachers protest held in July.
SriLanka Police employ coercive tactics to force @IUSFSL student activist Uadara Sandaruwan of Open University to surrender himself, by threatening to take one of his family members into custody if he fails to do so.
Ratkerewwe Jinarathana Thero, former Convener of has been threatened with abduction following recent student protests: “Someone keeps threatening me everyday using the number 0725167782. I am afraid to go to the police as I fear they might arrest me” he told JDS.
A leading activist of , Dr. Mahim Mendis of Open University threatened over the phone for speaking at FUTA protest on August 3rd: “When I came home, someone called me to say that they don’t like what I said. Since then, I’ve been receiving threats” he told JDS.
Political activist Koshila Sandamali, arrested at her home on 3rd August & currently held in #Negombo prison, has been denied her respiratory medication while forced to wear the same clothes since her arrest as her family was prevented from providing her clothes for 5 days.
A vehicle claimed to be from #Peliyagoda police station had roamed Rājanganaya in north central SriLanka, Saturday (7), asking information about an IUSFSL activist while police teams visited office & residence of Chatura Samarasinghe, president of Ceylon Estate Staffs’ union.
The Convener of #SriLanka’s IUSFSL Wasantha Mudalige & President of Sri Jayawardanapura student council Amila Sandeepa, arrested by the police within last 24 [06th August] hours were remanded until 11th August.