The University Grants Commission has issued a statement, defending the demolition of war monument at the University of Jaffna, which led to a tense situation last night (January 08).
Chairman of UGC, Prof. Sampath Amaratunga the monument, which was constructed in 2018 and modified over time, can be a threat to the unity between the north and the south.
Vice-Chancellor of Jaffna University, Prof. S. Srisatkunarajah had decided to remove the monument yesterday, he said, stressing that it was a “timely decision.”
He further noted that there are nearly 1,000 Sinhalese students in Jaffna University while at least 600-700 Tamil students from the north and east are studying in universities in the south. “The most important thing is that there is no rift among these students.”
Prof. Amaratunga stressed that Sri Lanka needs “peace monuments not war monuments.”
A tense situation emerged in front of the Jaffna University last night after Mullivaikal war monument was demolished using a backhoe. A group of university students, political representatives and residents of the area had staged a protest in front of the university.
The Police Special Task Force (STF) was also later deployed to the scene to bring the situation under control.
