Demolished war memorial at University of Jaffna reconstructed & declared open

A new war memorial built to remember those killed in the northern conflict was declared open at the premises of the University of Jaffna today.

In January, a similar memorial was demolished by the university administration on the basis that no proper permission was granted to erect the building inside the university.

The memorial erected by the student union was destroyed by the university administration on the basis that no approval was obtained to build it.

The monument was constructed by the student union in 2018 and declared open the following year. Former Vice-Chancellor I. Vikneswaran was removed later reportedly for his failure to remove the monument.

The present Vice-Chancellor, S. Satkunarajah, said the decision to remove the memorial was taken on the basis that no approvals were given for the construction.

Earlier Prof Satkunarajah told the agitating students that he had taken steps to remove the monument due to pressure from the government authorities since the monument was built without obtaining approval.

Meanwhile, Prof Satkunarajah was absent in today’s event as he was admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital after he suffered a minor cardiac arrest. (Pix by N.Lohathayalan)