Tensions have escalated in Jaffna after Sri Lankan police threatened a Tamil local government chairman over efforts to reclaim a public road located within the grounds of the controversial Thaiyiddy Buddhist temple site.
The Chairman of the Valikamam North divisional council, S. Sugirthan, was summoned to Palaly Police Station, where officers reportedly warned him to abandon moves to recover a road identified as belonging to the council.
The road, known as Bhavani Road, lies within the area where the Thaiyiddy Vihara has been constructed. On 28 April, Sugirthan formally identified the road as public property, following which government surveyors demarcated and measured the land.
He subsequently issued written notice to the temple’s chief incumbent, demanding that the road be released to the council by 11 May. The notice warned that failure to comply would result in council officials removing fencing on 12 May and recovering associated costs from the Vihara.
After a complaint was lodged by the temple’s chief monk, Sugirthan was called in for questioning. During the inquiry, police warned that attempts to remove the fencing could undermine “inter-ethnic harmony” and urged him to halt the initiative. Officers also indicated that legal action could be pursued if the council proceeded.
Sugirthan rejected the warning, asserting that the council holds documentary evidence establishing ownership of the road. He maintained that the demarcation process was conducted lawfully and insisted that the land must be returned.
He further challenged the police to initiate legal proceedings if they objected, stating he was prepared to defend the matter in court.
The dispute unfolds amid wider tensions in the area. On 28 April, attempts to survey surrounding lands were halted after landowners demanded written assurances from the Jaffna District Secretariat or the relevant Divisional Secretariat guaranteeing the release of their lands.
Officials at the time described these demands as unreasonable, leading to the abandonment of the broader land measurement exercise. The council, however, proceeded independently to identify and demarcate the road in question.