CHENNAI: In a shocking incident, three Sri Lankan pilgrimage tour organisers were asked to remove their T-shirts, which had Sinhalese words printed across them, by members of a pro-Eelam outfit. They then made a bonfire of the garments in Purasawalkam on Wednesday. The intruders, identified as Naam Thamizhar Iyyakam activists, were later arrested.It was about a month ago that Sarath Jayavardhana (39), Sumit Kumara (32) and Chamunda Nuwan (32), all hailing from Alpitiya in Sabaragamuwa region in the Island Nation, brought a group of 80 pilgrims on a tour of places of Buddhist interest in India.“On reaching 55-60 years of age, Sinhalese wish to visit the Buddhist sites in India and worship there,” Reverend Mahanama, Thero (monk-in-charge) of Maha Bodhi Society on Kenneth Lane, Egmore, told Express.After visiting Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Sanchi, Kapilavastu, Saravasti and other places in north India, the 83-member pilgrimage group arrived in Chennai on Wednesday, according to the monk. Since there was not enough space to accommodate the large group, the society arranged for their stay at a guest house on Perambur Barracks Road in Purasawalkam.Around 1.30 pm, the three Sri Lankan tour organisers were having lunch at the guest house, when three men barged inside. When they that the Lankans were sporting T-shirts with Sinhalese words, they ordered the trio to take them off immediately, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kilpauk) K Bhavaneeswari told Express. The intruders then took the T-shirts outside the hotel and burnt them. Warning the hotel owner not to allow the Lankan nationals to stay there, they went away, the DCP said. Based on a complaint filed by the manager of the guest house, the police later registered a case and have launched a search for the trio. With the help of footages from the CCTV cameras installed in the hotel, they nabbed the three men, who were identified as Rajkumar (40), area secretary of Naam Thamizhar Iyyakam in New Washermenpet, Mahendran (25) of Vyasarpadi and Kartikeyan of Jamuna Nagar, both members of the Seeman-led outfit.Officials of the Sri Lankan consulate here visited the Maha Bodhi Society and conducted an inquiry on Thursday morning.
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