Vavuniya students protest against abduction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2001, 14:10 GMT]
Students of National College of Education at Poonthoddam in Vavuniya demonstrated in the northern town Wednesday, protesting against the abduction of one of their colleagues by gunmen suspected to be from a militia working with the Sri Lankan army around 9 p.m.Tuesday. Somasundaram Mukunthan, a third-year student of the college, was abducted from his home at Pandaariakulam, a suburb of Vavuniya town, by gunmen men who had come in an auto-rikshaw, student sources said.

The gunmen who were masked had entered Mukunthan's house and asked him to produce his identity card and the residence pass issued by the Police, according to the students. They had then taken him away in their vehicle. The abductors had threatened to shoot other inmates of the house when they protested, the students said. Mukunthan is from Jaffna.

The students marched towards the offices of the Vavuniya Government Agent Mr.S.Ganesh and handed over a memorandum, urging him to secure their colleague's release. They sat in front of the GA's office, carrying placards. Student sources said Mukunthan is believed to have been abducted by a pro-government militia operating with the Sri Lankan army.

The students lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and Police in Vavuniya today.