Tension prevailed in the Batticaloa city as the residents awoke yesterday morning to find that several statues in the heart of the town had been beheaded by an unknown group the previous night.
Among those statues which lost their heads were leader of Indian freedom struggle Mahatma Gandhi, founder of the world Scout Movement Sir Baden Powell and Tamil scholar and Hindu reformist Swami Vipulananda, according to the police.
Among those statues which lost their heads were leader of Indian freedom struggle Mahatma Gandhi, founder of the world Scout Movement Sir Baden Powell and Tamil scholar and Hindu reformist Swami Vipulananda, according to the police.
Following the discovery of the acts of vandalism, the public market was closed down in protest.
The STF was deployed in the city to beef up security as tension built up, police said.Police are investigating how the vandals had got away unnoticed after smashing the statue of Mahatma Gandhi located near the clock tower in a high security zone.
Two statues of Swami Vipulananda and Poet Periyathampi of Mandoor, have also been destroyed within the high security area. The heads of these statues have been completely destroyed by the vandals.
The Batticaloa police are conducting investigations.
by Norman Palihawadane
IS