SLN truck collision injures motorcyclist in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 2003, 16:45 GMT]
A motorcyclist, Mr.Magikson Sahayathasan, 40, was knocked down by a speeding truck of the Sri Lanka Navy Tuesday night around 8 p.m. near the Vilundy Pilliayar Kovil in Koddady, a suburb in Jaffna town, police said.

Mr. Sahayathasan was immediately admitted to the Jaffna teaching hospital with multiple injuries.

A group of residents of the area thereafter gathered at the scene and prevented the SLN personnel from removing the vehicle, which was involved in the accident before a police inquiry was held.

However a large contingent of police and army personnel arrived at the site and used tear gas and baton charged the angry crowd to disperse. Thereafter, the SLN personnel removed their vehicle, sources said.

A few days ago, when an army truck fatally knocked down two Tamil youths who came in a motorcycle near the Gurunagar water tank junction in Jaffna town, angry residents clashed with the army and police personnel when they attempted to remove the army truck without a magisterial inquest and police investigation being held.

Later, at the inquest held into these deaths, the Magistrate, Ms. Srinithi Kamalasekaran, directed the police not to take any step that could remove the evidence of the accident or any other crime from the scene before a proper investigation was held.

However, the SLN and police Tuesday disregarded the instruction of the Magistrate and removed the vehicle involved in the accident, sources said.