The Rajini Thiranagama commemoration events that sucessfully proceeded this weekend despite attempts to pressurise the Commemoration Committee into calling off the program, had been heavily surveilled by the CID.

Rajani

The Rajini Thiranagama Commemoration Committee releasing a statement on the events that proceeded this weekend (20 and 21) with changes to the event venues and program due to restrictions imposed by the administrations of the previously booked venues, has noted that the events were marked by a noticable presence of CID.

According to the Committee, the CID personnel had diligently photographed the speakers and the participants. However, despite the surveillance, the audience had participated in the scheduled events with great enthusaism.

The 25th death anniversary of academic and human/women’s rights activist Dr. Rajini Thiranagama fell on September 21. Since her assasination by the LTTE in 1989 after which a peaceful march was held in Jaffna with the participation of students, clergy, activists and common people braving the hostile enviornment that prevailed in the area then, not a single event had been held to commemorate her memory in Jaffna until this weekend.

Although the Committee had planned a peaceful march this weekend as part of the remembrance events, the Police had abruptly withdrawn permission to carry it out. Meanwhile, several programs that were to be held at the Jaffna Library and the University, as part of the remembrance events were shifted to alternative locations due to the venue administrators abruptly refusing to grant access to hold the events at their premises.

Hence the main commemoration event was held in the morning of September 20 at Trimmer Hall, following by a cultural event held in the afternoon at the Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna. The events had concluded with a seminar titled ‘ A more just and democratic society’.