Temple Priest Arrested in Eastern Province

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 July 1999, 16:01 GMT]
The chief priest of the Alaiyadivemby Maruthayadi Manikkapillaiyar Temple, Sri Arasaretnam Senthinathakurukkal, was arrested on Friday July 23 by a team of police personnel who came in a white van, residents said.

The temple situated in the Akkaraipattu area of the eastern province is now closed as there is no priest to perform the daily services, sources said.

The police personnel arrived in a white van, entered the temple with their shoes and then arrested the priest who was in his underwear, sources said.

The temple vice president, T.Krishnapillai, Assistant Secretary, K.Sivapathasuntharam and an employee T.Kasikutty went to the Akkaraipattu STF camp in search of chief priest. At the camp the three were also arrested and kept in a cell for two hours, according to representations made to Douglas Devananda, MP for Jaffna district and EPDP Secretary General.

Representations were also made to International Committee of Red Cross in Akkaraipattu. When ICRC representative contacted the security forces it came to light that the arrested chief priest had been handed over to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Kandy, temple sources said.