Karuna group person shot, injured in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 March 2009, 17:33 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen on motor cycles opened fire Monday around 3:30 p.m on a vehicle in which Karuna group coordinator in Batticaloa, the person in charge of educational affair was travelling, seriously injuring a youth who was with him, from Batticaloa to Vaazhaichcheanai at Ituthayapuram in Batticaloa police division, Batticaloa police said. The coordinator had escaped being injured in the shooting and the injured youth is admitted to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital.

The injured youth was identified as Kanapathipillai Thuseetharan, 18.

The coordinator, S. Julian alias Newton, a resident of Vaazhaichcheanai, had been working with the Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP) Vaazhaichcheanai branch headed by Siva before joining Karuna group, sources in Vaazhaichcheanai said.

Karuna had appointed Julian as the person in charge of educational affairs in Batticaloa district when key persons from his group had deserted him, the sources further said.

This shooting has taken place during a time when Karuna is going around meeting Eastern University students, principals of schools, teachers, employees and officials of Zonal Education Offices with a view to gain support for him and his associates in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

The attack took place 100 m from a police sentry post in Iruthayapuram.