Court releases arrested Trinco students

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 June 2000, 17:03 GMT]
Two students of Chelvanayagapuram Tamil Maha Vidyalayam in Uppuveli in Trincomalee district, who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and held in detention, were produced before the Trincomalee acting magistrate, Mr. M.K. Selvarajah yesterday.

The magistrate discharged one student, Nagalojan, and released the other student Nagarasa Gengeswaran on bail.

The arrest of the two students by the SLA on the June 8 at the 3rd milepost at Uppuveli caused widespread concern among Tamil students in the Trincomalee district.

Students at the Chelvanayagapuram Tamil Vidyalam started a boycott of classes from June 9 demanding the immediate release of the two students from police custody. The strike spread to other Tamil schools in Trincomalee district last week.

Mr.Gunasena Thenabadu, Senior Superintendent of Police summoned a conference of Principals and school prefects at the Trincomalee Police Headquarters on Wednesday June 14 to discuss the matter. He gave assurances that the students would be released through the Magistrate's Court once the investigations were completed.

Following the release of the two students, the student bodies of Tamil schools in the Trincomalee district have agreed to attend classes from Monday.