Why is the government getting agitated about people remembering a peaceful protestor who died for noble Causes? Queried MP and former Chief Minister of the North retired Supreme Court Judge C.V.Wigneswaran in a statement issued today over the arrest of Northern Parliamentarian Selvarasa Kajendran by the Police..
Mr Wigneswaran’s statement further said
I just saw a video footage of .SelvarasaKajendran Parliamentarian being dragged by the Police and taken in a Police vehicle. He is said to have participated in a function to remember the dead. An MP being dragged by the Police like a common criminal is a high handed act. To my knowledge there is no law which states we cannot remember our dead. Even the relatives of criminals like Duminda Silva and Army officer Ratnayake both of whom were recently released on a Presidential Pardon have the right to remember them if they are no more. They were found to be criminals by Courts of competent jurisdiction.
This act of the Police shows the extent to which dead persons are disturbing the conscience of the powers that be. Possibly they find it difficult to sleep peacefully without being disturbed by dead spirits. After all Thileepan was a peaceful Satyagrahi who fasted until death for noble causes. Why is the government getting agitated about people remembering a peaceful protestor who died for noble Causes?
In any event MP Kajendran has been released on Police bail. If the Government thinks such acts of wanton provocation would put fear into our people they are sadly mistaken. Such high handedness will expose the Government and make our people more determined to fight for political self determination in this country.
As a retired original Court Judge and Supreme Court Judge I hope our Courts will be more circumspective before issuing stay orders against people remembering their dead heroes! Covid restrictions must be adhered to but People’s basic Rights must be respected. Any public disturbance which the police might refer to cannot arise unless the Government’s arms the Police and the Military try to intervene. None of the people in this part of the Country would feel remembering the dead Thileepan is a high handed act except the Central Government’s henchmen.
