Occupying Sri Lanka Army assaults Saiva priest in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 July 2012, 07:57 GMT]
The Tamil priest of Aathi Paraasakthi temple in Valveddith-thu'rai was brutally assaulted by the occupying Sri Lanka military on Monday, a few minutes after the priest politely reminded a Sinhala soldier, who went inside the temple wearing boots, that the act was considered as showing disrespect to the deity and as desecrating the shrine. The priest, brutally attacked by the military, was rushed to Valveddith-thu'rai hospital by the devotees of the temple at E'l'lang-ku'lam. Tension prevailed in the area following the offending act of the SL military, residents of the village said.

A SLA soldier, who was playing with his fellow troopers in the military-appropriated land of the temple, ran inside the temple after a ball.

The Tamil priest, who was conducting prayers inside the temple noticed the act of the soldier entering the temple wearing shoes and politely warned him on the hostile act.

Following this, the soldier went out and came with a team of soldiers, headed by their commander, and beat the priest causing several injuries to him.

The wounded priest was taken to the hospital by the devotees after the SL soldiers left the site.

The SLA had appropriated the land belonging to the temple and transformed it into a play ground for them.

The SLA had earlier destroyed the Tamil Heroes Cemetery for Vadamaraadchi region, which was situated near the temple.