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JVP-backed union secretary under arrest

by Sarath Malalasekera, Manjula Fernando and Ranga Jayasuriya

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday denied the party's involvement in the killing of a third year management student of Sri Jayawardhanapura university but hinted that individual party members could be responsible.

JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa told a media briefing in Colombo "the party can't be held accountable for the actions of individual members."

Asked who was behind the death, Weerawansa said "It was the government's duty to identify the culprits".

He charged that the Government was carrying out a campaign to link its party with the Jayawardhanapura University incident as well as the Walasmulla violence.

Weerawansa said that given the law and order situation, the JVP or any other party "cannot avoid such tragedies".

One of the suspects arrested in the case Deshan Ajantha Kumara, a third year Management student has admitted to Police that he is the Secretary of the JVP-backed Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF). Police say that they are looking for 16 more students suspected of being involved in the brutal attack that left two more undergraduates seriously injured and several more hospitalized.

Already Police have apprehended 19 SJU students in this connection. They are now in remand.

Several female undergraduates were among the arrested but they were released on bail later due to lack of evidence linking them with the incident, the spokesman said.

The Solicitor General C. R. de Silva PC yesterday directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit their dossier on the case within two weeks. He has asked that action be filed against the perpetrators within a month.

A spokesman from the Mirihana Police said the suspects of the undergraduate, Samantha Vithanage, murder case will be produced before an identification parade on November 26.

"The CID is also assisting us in the investigations now and they have deployed additional teams to apprehend the missing suspects."

He said steps have been taken to provide police protection for the students who volunteered to be witnesses in the case after complaints of threatening calls from people identifying themselves as IUSF members.

The five students still receiving treatment at Kalubowila and National hospitals are also kept under police protection.

The 23-year-old Management student was brutally assaulted to death by a mob of extremist students of the same university on Thursday when he tried to prevent a group of seniors from ragging freshers. Six students were admitted to the hospital with serious injuries that day. Samantha succumbed to his injuries at the National Hospital Intensive Care Unit on Saturday.

The President and the Prime Minister have called for full reports on the incident.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse in a statement issued yesterday condemned the brutal

killing and expressed his condolences to the family of the undergraduate.

Samantha's funeral will be held at Udahamulla cemetery today.

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