June 25, 2013, 9:23 pm
by S Venkat Narayan Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 25: Two Sri Lankan defence officers undergoing training at India’s prestigeous Defence Staff Services College (DSSC) at Wellington in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district flew back home this morning in the wake of protests and political opposition to the training being given to them.
Wing Commander Bandara Disanayake and Major Harishchandra Hettiarachige reached Coimbatore by road with full protection on Monday and flew to Mumbai the same evening. They flew to Colombo early this morning.
Official sources said India offered to shift the two officers to another training centre in Andhra Pradesh. But the Sri Lankan government responded that they are too junior in rank, and wanted them to be retained either in Wellington or be sent back home.
Tamil outfits and political parties opposed the training, holding Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa responsible for the "genocide of Tamils in the name of war against terrorism."
The two officers came to Wellington on May 27 and their training began on June 3.
Following a series of protests, the army and the Nilgiris police conducted joint patrolling around the campus. MDMK general secretary Vaiko had called for picketing of the college on Tuesday. Since the officers had left Wellington, Vaiko’s party was scheduled to hold a meeting at Coonoor at 10 am on Tuesday to condemn the Union government for its failure to respect the "sentiments of the Tamil race."
Meanwhile, a bandh (shut-down) was observed on Monday in Gudalur and Pandalur in the the Nilgiris.
The bandh call was given by various political parties and Tamil outfits against the training given to the Sri Lankan defence officers.
Over 70 activists of various political outfits were removed by the police in both the towns for attempting to stage a road blockade. Shops and establishments remained closed and private vehicles kept off the road.
While Tamil politicians are objecting to Sri Lankan defence personnel being provided training in defence establishments in Tamil Nadu, the 1,400 Sri Lankans currently undergoing training in other facilities across India are facing no problems whatsoever.
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