Maanippaay police arrests Jaffna HRC driver

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 June 2008, 09:32 GMT]
Maanippaay police arrested the driver of the vehicle belonging to Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office Saturday, claiming that weapons were found hidden in the vehicle that was parked in a motor repair garage in Maanippaay, sources in Jaffna said. Two employees of the garage were also arrested by Maanippaay police Saturday.

The arrested HRC vehicle driver is Nagarathinam Susitharan, 22, a married man and a resident of Nalloor in Jaffna.

Susitharan had dropped the Jaffna HRC Investigation Officer, who was to fly to Colombo HRC Head Office Friday, at the old Jaffna Railway station and then taken the vehicle to a motor repair garage in Maanippaay.

Maanippaay police claimed that they recovered weapons hidden in the said vehicle that was parked in the garage in Maanippaay on information given to them by someone.

The police arrested two employees of the garage Saturday and had summoned Susitharan for inquiries to Maanippaay police station.

Susitharan was arrested Saturday when he appeared at Maanippaay police station.

HRC sources in Jaffna and Susitharan said that there had been no weapons hidden in the vehicle when it was handed over to the garage for repairs.

Colombo HRC Head Office, on being notified of the arrest of the driver, had contacted Maanippaay police.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops in their check-post near Jaffna Fort had subjected the HRC officials to rigorous interrogation and intimidation last year claiming that a hand grenade was found in the vehicle they were traveling in.