TNA suspects Karuna’s involvement in Batticaloa cop killings

The Tamil National Alliance yesterday echoed sentiments of UNP MP Nalin Bandara, raising suspicions about the alleged involvement of SLFP Vice President and former LTTE Eastern Commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Col. Karuna in the Batticaloa shooting that resulted in the death of two policemen on Thursday.

TNA Jaffna District Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran said that after the events of 26 October, Karuna Amman had “come out of the cold” and started making statements. “Four policemen have been shot in Batticaloa and two have succumbed to their injuries. According to information we received, we have serious suspicions about those who have been rejuvenated since 26 October,” the TNA MP charged.

Taking aim at EPDP leader Douglas Devananda, who was recently appointed as a Cabinet Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena, Sumanthiran charged that EPDP cadres had also “come out of the woodwork” in Jaffna. Alluding to an attack on activists of a Tamil political party, Sumanthiran claimed: “A person calling himself a Minister says ‘I have returned’ – using famous screen dialogue to terrorise people.” 

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, former Deputy Minister of Law and Order Bandara told the House that there was a reason to link a recent tweet by a Twitter handle claiming to be Col. Karuna to the cop killings in Batticaloa. The tweet appeared to be a warning to remember ‘who Col. Karuna was’. However, there is no confirmation that the account is being used by Muralitharan himself.  In a statement to IBC Tamil, Karuna denied any involvement in the Batticaloa killings and denied that the Twitter account that carried his name was actually operated by him.