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Tamil VC resigns under pressure from abductors
Abductions by shadowy armed groups have been on a rise in the island nation in the past few months, reports PK Balachandran.
The Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University based in Batticaloa, Prof S Ravindranath, submitted his resignation on Tuesday, after the abductors of the Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Arts, Dr Bala Sukumar, said that he would not be released unless Dr Ravindranath resigned from his post.
Dr Ravindranath had submitted his resignation to the Chairman of the UGC, Dr Gamini Samaranayake.
But Dr Samaranayake said that he could not accept the resignation as only the appointing authority, the President of Sri Lanka, could do so.
Bala Sukumar had pleaded for the acceptance of the resignation as his life was in danger.
Abductions by shadowy armed groups have been dime a dozen in Sri Lanka in the past few months.
About 70 Tamil traders and at least one journalist had been abducted from Colombo alone.
According to the government Defence Spokesman Kehelia Rambukwella, in the 30 cases brought to the notice of the police, 27 had been released.
He told newsmen on Tuesday that special security was being provided to about 70 leading Tamil merchants in Colombo and efforts were on to curb menace.
