Police fire injures civilian

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A leading businessman of Batticaloa, K. Jegathees, was seriously injured in the early hours of the morning today around 5.30 a.m. by Sri Lankan Police fire while on his way back with his family from the Maamaangam Temple where he had attended the Tamil New Year Pooja. His wife and two children who were with him escaped unhurt.

Sources said that he had gone to the Temple as the Sri Lankan Police and army had permitted devotees to attend temple ceremonies for the dawn of the Tamil new year.

The motorcycle in which he was riding was heavily damaged in the Police fire.

The businessman's relatives said that he and others like him had set out in the early hours to the temple only because the security forces had said that devotees could attend to their customary new year ceremonies.