Muslims demonstrate against Pillaiyaan group in Aaraiyampathi

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2008, 17:06 GMT]
Muslims in Eastern province observed total hartal Monday condemning paramilitary shooting on Muslims emerging from a Mosque in Karbala village in Aaraiyampathi Saturday evening, injuring three persons including a chief Mawlawi. The Muslim Mosques Federation in Kaaththaankudi had called for the hartal and more than 1000 people marched in a protest demonstration arranged by the federation.



All activities in the Muslim populated areas in the districts of Batticaloa and Ampaa’rai came to a standstill as shops, private and government institutions remained closed.

Public transport was not significantly affected either by the hartal or the protest march.

The protestors set fire to tires on the Batticaloa-Kalmunai main road suspending traffic for nearly two hours.

Police rushed to the site and brought the situation under control.

The demonstrators handed an appeal to the Senior Police Commissioner on behalf of the Muslim Mosques Federation requesting that the Pillaiyaan group's Aaraiyampathi camp should be removed and Shanthan, the key paramilitary operative of Pillaiyaan (TMVP) group in Aaraiyampathi, to be expelled from the region.

Situation in the eastern provinces returned to normalcy Monday evening.

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