Students protest over Principal's killing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 10:44 GMT]
Hundreds of students of Kopay Christian College blocked the Jaffna-Point Pedro roads and Kaithady-Urumpirai road at Kopay junction from 12 noon Wednesday and sat in protest condemning the killing of their principal Mr. Nadarajah Sivakadadcham.

Mr. Sivakadadcham, principal, Kopay Chrisitian College, was killed by gunmen, Tuesday night, outside his door. He was one of the chief organisers of the recent Tamil Upsurge event, which drew over 200,000 Tamils to demand for their right to self-determination.

The leaders of the protesting students assured this was neither a "strike action," nor a call for "Shut-Shop."

"We demand urgent investigation into our principal's murder and the perpetrators of the crime identified. Until then we will continue our protest," a students' spokesperson said.

They pointed out that there was a team of Sri Lankan army troopers visiting their school during school hours looking for their principal in his absence before he was gunned down in the evening at his residence.

Children and students sat down at the Kopay junction, "cross-cutting" Jaffna-Point Pedro Road and Kaithady-Urumpiray Road. The traffic has grinded to a halt.