Police sexual assault on student sparks protest in Mannar

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2005, 15:17 GMT]
Hundreds of people protested against Sri Lanka Police in Thaalvupaadu, a coastal village near Mannar town Friday evening, demanding action against constables who had sexually assaulted and grievously injured a school boy. The seriously injured student was admitted to Mannar hospital and then rushed to Vavuniya as his condition was serious.

The student's genitals were slashed with a knife and he was beaten unconscious, hospital sources in Mannar said.

He had bloody bite marks on his chest, they said.

Fishermen on the Thaalvupaadu coast who had seen a Policemen attempting to throw the unconscious boy into an abandoned well, rescued him and took him to the hospital, according to the boy's relatives.

"We do not want empty promises from the authorities. We want strong action against the culprits now", said a protesting villager.

Later in the evening the protesting crowds dispersed after commander of the Sri Lanka Navy in Mannar, Nihal Chandrasiri, promised to take immediate action against the Policemen.