Students see sinister plan behind clash

By Rathindra Kuruwita
The attacks on Kelaniya University students is the latest attempt by the Government to silence the voice of dissent, claimed Convener, Inter University Students Federation, Udul Premaratne.
Premaratne charged that the Police not only allowed armed assailants to attack students but also did not provide adequate security to the convoys which carried mostly female students to safety.

“Police claim that they evacuated the students “safely.” If they evacuated the students safely how were the buses attacked at Fort, Armour Street, Kiribathgida and Peliyagoda. 90% of the passengers were female; they were abused verbally and physically. At Armour Street these assailants chased away the two policemen in the bus. This proves two things, one is that there was no proper security arrangement and the other is that these were not “villagers,” he said.

Premaratne added that there is no reason for the villagers to attack undergraduates as there is a close interdependent relationship. Many students who come from outstation areas are boarded in houses nearby and are a considerable source of income to the villagers.

“Apart from the boarding houses, there are dozens of other enterprises, from restaurants to internet cafes, which are dependant on students. For five decades there have been no clashes with villagers. That is why we claim that these attacks are the work of Minister Silva,” he alleged. Colombo National Hospital claimed that three students who were assaulted in buses were admitted to the hospital but students claim that there were many others who sustained cuts and bruises.

“The bus I was travelling in was attacked and when we made it to Peliyagoda Police station the Police Officers abused us verbally and did not do anything to help those who were injured,” claimed a student.

Udul Premaratne claimed that the Minister’s henchmen have been trying to provoke the students in the past few days.
“In the last few days we received reports of various minor attacks on students and some individuals have been trying to provoke students during the ‘Bihidora Abiyasa’ exhibition. About three days ago, a student was hit by a black colour Prado vehicle which tried to flee the scene without helping the injured student and when others intervened there was a minor incident. Mervyn Silva is directly behind this and other incidents,” he claimed. “On Thursday night various gangs have come to many boarding places looking for university students and unless the Government takes serious steps to assure the security of the students I don’t think the academic activities can commence,” he said.

Meanwhile Minister Mervyn Silva and Police Spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekara denied claims of inciting violence against the students of the University of Kelaniya and not providing enough security to the students who were leaving the University in a special convoy of buses.

“I did not incite violence against the students. I heard that there is a clash between students and residents of the area and I rushed into settle the dispute,” Minister Silva said.
SSP Gunasekara claimed that police took immediate action to stop the violence between the two sides. “We sent Police squads to the University premises and dispersed the crowds using tear gas. We did all we can,” he said.

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