Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (All Ceylon Tamil Congress) Jaffna District Parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, who is alleged to have obstructed the duties of Police officers, was arrested yesterday (7) by the Maruthankerny Police and subsequently granted bail by the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court.

He was taken into custody by a team of officers attached to Maruthankerny Police at his residence in Colombo.

He is alleged to have been complicit in obstructing the duties of Police officers and verbally abusing them during a recent event in Vadamarachchi. A recent video which went viral on several social media platforms showed a heated exchange of words between the MP and several officers, believed to be attached to the Jaffna Police, while Ponnambalam was engaging with the area residents. A tense situation had ensued when the Police officers had asked MP Ponnambalam to call off his public meeting at the Thalaiyadi playground, in consideration of the students sitting for the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level Examination being held at the nearby Thalaiyadi Roman Catholic Mixed School.

In a Twitter thread posted yesterday, Ponnambalam stated that the Police had arrived at his residence at around 6.30 a.m. to take him to the Maruthankerny Police to record a statement. He claimed that it is evident that the Police were “desperate” to prevent him from raising a breach of privileges matter in the Parliament yesterday. “I managed to contact the Speaker of the Parliament and inform him of the chronology of the events. The Speaker then informed me that I can attend the Parliament sessions and make the statement as requested on 12 June or after.”

Soon after the relevant incident in Vadamarachchi, Ponnambalam was asked to record a statement with the Maruthankerny Police on Monday (5), however, he failed to make an appearance citing a Parliamentary meeting in Colombo.

Later, the Police presented facts related to the matter to the Court.

On Tuesday (6), the officers of the Kollupitiya Police had served him a written notice asking him to appear before the Maruthankerny Police at 10 a.m. today (8). However, the MP refused to accept the notice, saying that he can neither read nor speak in Sinhala. Ponnambalam, in his Twitter thread yesterday morning, said that the Police had served him a translation of the respective written notice on Tuesday night.

He also said that he has given a written notice to the Speaker, pertaining to a breach of his MP privileges. He also told the Speaker that he would record a statement with the Police after 12 June after attending the Parliamentary sessions.

Meanwhile, after taking into account a request made by the Police, the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court issued an overseas travel ban on the MP.

On 4 June, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles had called for a detailed report on the recent heated situation involving Ponnambalam and a group of Police officers in Jaffna. Accordingly, Alles stated that the Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police of Jaffna had been informed to provide a special report on the incident as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the female organiser of the Tamil National People’s Front was remanded until yesterday after being produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court earlier yesterday. She was arrested on Monday, along with a man, on charges of obstructing the duties of Police officers.