Vakarai, Sri Lanka – Tamil residents of Kattumurivu, a village in the Vakarai region of Batticaloa, were subjected to violence by Sri Lankan Forest Department officials on February 25. In a distressing incident, the officials allegedly assaulted locals and set fire to their homes, causing outrage among the affected villagers who have lived in the area for decades.
The assault occurred around 2 PM in the Fourth Mile area of the Puchchakeni Grama Sevaka Division in Vakarai. Witnesses revealed that Forest Department officials arrived in the village, demanding the immediate evacuation of residents. The officials also reportedly gathered information to pursue legal action against three individuals, sparking concerns of further persecution. To make matters worse, the officials set fire to villagers’ homes and engaged in physical violence.
Upon learning of the attack, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) MP Ilaiyathambi Srinath visited the area to hear the grievances of the affected residents. Shocked by the brutality of the Forest Department, Srinath condemned the actions as a gross violation of human rights. He promptly notified the Vakarai Divisional Secretary and called for an investigation to uncover the full extent of the attack. Additionally, Srinath vowed to advocate for justice by engaging with the Batticaloa District Secretariat to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The incident in Kattumurivu is part of a larger trend of land grabs and state-sanctioned violence in Tamil regions, where authorities have been displacing local populations under the guise of environmental conservation and development projects. As a result, human rights activists have taken action by lodging complaints with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and other relevant authorities to address the ongoing injustices faced by Tamil communities.
In response to the crisis, Srinath reassured the affected residents that he, along with his ITAK colleagues, will stand in solidarity with the Tamil people and pursue further action against those responsible for the reprehensible attack in Kattumurivu. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerable position of Tamil residents in the face of arbitrary state violence and land encroachments.