An alleged land dispute in Jaffna has escalated into a legal and political controversy, following a confrontation involving independent Tamil MP Archuna Ramanathan and a group of local residents, culminating in arrests and court proceedings.
The incident unfolded on Saturday in the Periyavilan area within the Ilavalai Police Division, centring on a plot of land reported to be owned by the MP. According to accounts presented by Ramanathan, he had entered the property to carry out clearing work when he encountered resistance from individuals he alleges had encroached upon the land and erected fencing.
Eyewitness narratives and statements attributed to the MP indicate that a heated verbal altercation ensued between Ramanathan and a group comprising two men and several women. He alleges that he was subjected to verbal abuse and that the confrontation escalated when one individual wielded a club, while a woman attempted to strike him with a stone, causing injury to his hand.
Amid the escalation, Ramanathan drew a handgun reportedly issued to him by the Ministry of Defence for personal protection, claiming that the weapon was produced in response to an immediate threat to his safety.
Video footage circulating widely on social media appears to show the MP displaying the firearm during the confrontation.
Following the confrontation, Ramanathan lodged a complaint with Ilavalai Police alleging unlawful trespass and threats against his person. Police subsequently arrested one of the women involved in the dispute and produced her before the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court.
Ramanathan himself was arrested the following day, April 27, and remanded until April 29. The woman was also remanded over the same period. During court proceedings, it was brought to the Magistrate’s attention that the woman is the mother of a one-year-old child and requires breastfeeding. The court permitted the infant to remain with her during her period of remand.
Ramanathan was released on bail on Wednesday, April 29, after being produced before the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court. He was granted bail on two sureties of Rs. 500,000 each and a cash bail of Rs. 20,000. The court also imposed a condition prohibiting any form of contact or communication with the opposing party.
The woman accused of assaulting the MP was also released on bail.