Key Aragalaya activists Stalin and Mahanama Thero arrested

• Live video footages showed how Stalin was questioning reasons for his arrest

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

Amidst a spate of recent arrests of Galle Face protesters, two more key activists of the aragalaya trade union leader Joseph Stalin and Koswatte Mahanama Thero were arrested by separate police teams yesterday.   

The arrest of Stalin was made moments after the special police announcement was made at the Galle Face asking all the protesters and demonstrators to vacate the premises and remove the makeshift tents by Friday (05th) evening 5.00pm.

A team of over 15 policemen from the Fort Police Station who arrived at the teachers’ trade union office ‘Guru Medura’ on Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha had placed General Secretary of Ceylon Teachers’ Union Joseph Stalin under arrest.   

Live video footages aired by journalists who were present at the scene showed how Stalin was questioning reasons for his arrest as the policemen were taking him away in two jeeps.   

However, few hours before this, a police team from Cinnamon Gardens Police took leading Buddhist clergy who was in the forefront of the struggle Koswatte Mahanama Thera into custody.   

Meanwhile, another activist of the Galle Face struggle Vimukthi Ranasinghe was apprehended by a Criminal Investigation Department team on Tuesday from his house in Maharagama.   

The sources at the aragalaya said the CID had also taken the youth’s mobile phone and laptop into custody.     

•  Stalin was arrested moments after the special police announcement was made