Undergrad Buddhist monks allegedly attack university officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 13:51 GMT]
A group of monk undergraduates of the Sri Jayawardenepura University in Colombo allegedly attacked some university officials, accompanying Vice Chancellor Dr. N. L. A. Karunaratne, when they visited the monk hostel on Sunday night, The Island reported Monday. According to the Vice Chancellor, the attack took place when he and the officials visited the hostel to inquire on a complaint they had received from the people of the area that their children could not study at night due to the din from the hostel.

A sub warden and two monks were hospitalised after the incident, The Island said.

The Buddhist monks said that the university officials had attacked them and they staged a demonstration opposite the university entrance Monday.

According to the Secretary of the Arts Faculty Students Union, who is also a Buddhist monk, the VC had earlier suspended four monk-undergraduates last week, for distributing leaflets outside the university.

The VC told the media that indiscipline would not be tolerated in the campus.

One of the academics of the university who went to advise the monk undergrads to resolve the issue through discussions was Senior Professor Sunil Ariyaratne. Sometimes back he said in Chennai that it was his dream for future to see Tamil children embracing Buddhist monkhood.

Nothing should be done that would anger the Buddhist monks in the island, was the stand of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr M. Karunanidhi immediately after the war.