Samantha Vithanage

Last updated

Ovitigala Vithanage Samantha aka Samantha Vithanage (died 2002) was a third year Management student of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, who pioneered an anti-ragging campaign, and was killed on 7 November 2002 while in a discussion to stop the brutal practice of ragging in the faculty. [1] His death was a landmark incident in the anti-ragging movement of Sri Lankan universities which provoked many students and academic staff of universities to act against ragging.

Contents

On 7 November 2002, the anti-ragging campaigners sat down for a discussion with the pro-rag JVP controlled student council - General Students Union of University of Sri Jayawardanepura (Progressive Front), who defended the practice. The meeting took place at the premises of Department of Marketing Management. Midway through the discussion, a mob of around 200 JVP supporters armed with clubs and stones stormed into the room and viciously attacked Vithanage and others in the anti-ragging camp. The attackers stabbed their victims with shards of glass and Vithanage who was struck, fell to the floor. President of the General Students Union at that time, Sujith Kuruwita crashed a heavy computer monitor on his head. [2] Vithanage was seriously injured. Pro-ragging students also blocked the vehicle carrying the injured to the hospital, delaying proper medical treatment. [3] Two days later Samantha Vithanage died. [4] [5]

The University Lecturers Association of the Sri Jayawardanapura University (SJU) denouncing the killing of Samantha had stated "This inhumane student slaughter is the most brutal killing and the worst black mark in the history of the SJU." [6] Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne accused Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna - a Marxist-Leninist, political party for the murder. [7] General Students Union of University of Sri Jayawardanepura is a member of the Inter University Students' Federation, a students' union affiliated to SFP. [8]

Later, Samantha Vithagane fund was created in memory of the slain student Samantha Vithanage. [9] Although the death of 22-year-old Vithanage subdued the rag at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura for a while, it has not totally eradicated the practice.

See also

Related Research Articles

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Mainstream leftist political movement in Sri Lanka

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna is a Marxist–Leninist communist party and a former militant organization in Sri Lanka. The movement was involved in two armed uprisings against the government of Sri Lanka: once in 1971 (SLFP), and another in 1987–89 (UNP). The motive for both uprisings was to establish a socialist state.

Ragging is the term used for the so-called "initiation ritual" practiced in higher education institutions in Indian Subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The practise is similar to hazing in North America, bizutage in France, praxe in Portugal, and other similar practices in educational institutions across the world. Ragging involves abuse, humiliation, or harassment of new entrants or junior students by the senior students. It often takes a malignant form wherein the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or physical torture. In 2009, the University Grants Commission of India imposed regulations upon Indian universities to help curb ragging and launched a toll-free 'anti-ragging helpline'.

Rohana Wijeweera Sri Lankan politician and revolutionary

Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera, was a Sri Lankan Marxist political activist, revolutionary and the founding leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. Wijeweera led the party in two unsuccessful insurrections in Sri Lanka, in 1971 and 1987 to 1989.

1987–1989 JVP insurrection Armed revolt in Sri Lanka

The 1987–1989 JVP insurrection, also known as the 1988–1989 revolt or the JVP troubles, was an armed revolt led by the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna against the Government of Sri Lanka, which was led by President J. R. Jayewardene. The revolt, like a preceding insurgency which took place in 1971, was unsuccessful. The insurrection was a low-intensity conflict that lasted from April 1987 to December 1989. The JVP resorted to subversion, assassinations, raids, and attacks on military and civilian targets while the Sri Lankan government reacted through counter-insurgency operations to suppress the revolt.

Nagalingam Shanmugathasan was a trade unionist and Maoist revolutionary leader in Sri Lanka. He was the General Secretary of the Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist)

Human rights in Sri Lanka provides for Fundamental rights. The constitution states that every person is entitled to freedom thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. And, that every person is equal before the law.

Sri Lanka and state terrorism

The Sri Lankan state has been accused of state terrorism against the Tamil minority as well as the Sinhalese majority, during the two Marxist–Leninist insurrections. The Sri Lankan government and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces have been charged with massacres, indiscriminate shelling and bombing, extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, disappearance, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and economic blockade. According to Amnesty International state terror was institutionalized into Sri Lanka's laws, government and society.

The Sooriyakanda mass grave is the mass burial ground of murdered school children from Embilipitiya Maha Vidyalaya in Sri Lanka. These school children were killed and buried as part of the counterinsurgency during the second JVP uprising in Sri Lanka. It was alleged that over 300 bodies were buried in the location. The mass grave was located in 1994. The Sri Lankan government last reported in 1996 to have conducted a forensic analysis of the burial ground uncovering an unspecified number of bodies. Local media, NGOs and the US state department have claimed that the investigations are not satisfactory.

Sellapperumage Saman Piyasiri Fernando, was the military wing leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna during the 1987-89 insurrection in Sri Lanka, the JVP's military wing also known as Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya (DJV). His position in the JVP as the military commander was organizationally higher than the position of Rohana Wijeweera, the founder of the JVP.

Inter University Students Federation

Inter University Students' Federation is a confederation of students' unions in the Sri Lanka. Around 70 students' unions are affiliated, accounting for more than 95% of all higher and further education unions in the Sri Lanka. Inter University Students Federation is the organization that is given leadership to whole university students in Sri Lanka. It is the largest student organization in Sri Lanka to date. It represents the voice of student councils and action committees in 15 higher education institutes including all the major universities and technical colleges in sri lanka.

The assassination of Daya Pathirana took place on 15 December 1986. Daya Pathirana was the leader of the Independent Students Union of University of Colombo during 1985-1986. Pro-Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna activists are accused of his murder. This assassination is considered as a watershed incident in the 1987–1989 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna insurrection.

Compulsory leadership training for undergraduates in Sri Lanka is a mandatory program introduced in 2011 by the Sri Lankan Government for all students select for undergraduate courses in state universities to undergo residential three-week leadership training and positive thinking development at training camps under the Defence Ministry which as lead to much controversy. The Sri Lankan Higher Education Ministry sought the university academics' and vice chancellors' views on the ongoing leadership training program and decided to reduce it from three weeks to two weeks.

Kalubowila Kumarasinghe Mudiyanselage Herath Bandaage Herath, popularly known as H. B. Herath, was a Sri Lankan political activist who was killed by army forces. He was a member of the JVP party in the period 1983–1989.

Terrorism in Sri Lanka has been a highly destructive phenomenon during the periods of the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) and the first and second JVP insurrections. A common definition of terrorism is the systematic use or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government for political, religious, or ideological goals. Sri Lanka is a country that has experienced some of the worst known acts of modern terrorism, such as suicide bombings, massacres of civilians and assassination of political and social leaders, that posed a significant threat to the society, economy and development of the country. The Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1978 is the legislation, that provides the powers to law enforcement officers to deal with issues related to terrorism in Sri Lanka. It was first enacted as a temporary law in 1979 under the presidency of J. R. Jayewardene, and later made permanent in 1982.

Batalanda detention centre was an alleged detention centre used to torture and exterminate members of the then militant marxist rebel organization Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna(JVP) during JVP uprising of 1988–1989 who launched a second armed revolt against an elected government then led by President Ranasinghe Premadasa. Unlike the previous open uprising the JVP relied on assassinations of important religious and political figures, subversion and terror attacks. The government replied brutally showing no mercy and the government has been accused of using detention camps in several places including Batalanda to quell the JVP uprising. These were said to be run by anti-subversive units of the police who were tasked with destroying rebels It is believed that nearly 5,000-10,000 members of JVP activists were brutally tortured and killed in this camp. Ranil Wickremesinghe is accused of being the political authority of the alleged detention center. Batalanda commission was appointed by the government of Chandrika Kumaratunga to look into the violations of human rights and crimes committed at Batalanda torture and detention center. In its report the commission recommended the government to take legal action against then opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and to strip him of his civic rights, which would have made him ineligible to run for elections. However no legal action was taken against him by any government to date and several who were arrested for their involvement in alleged killings have been revealed to be from organizations such as the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party which was created by Kumaratunge and her husband who himself was assassinated.

Sampath Amaratunge Sri Lankan academic and administrator (born 1964)

Sampath Amaratunge is the chairman of the University Grants Commission, Sri Lanka. He was appointed by Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 2 January 2020, and assumed the role the following day. Amaratunge was previously the vice-chancellor at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, and the chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors (CVCD). He was elected as a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities United Kingdom as a member representing constituency II.

Socialist Students' Union of Sri Lanka (SSU) also known as Samajavadi Shishya Sangameya is a students' union in Sri Lanka that operates as the students' wing of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.

The Black Cat group, or the Black Cats, was a pro-UNP paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. The Black Cats were initially formed following the electoral victory of Ranasinghe Premadasa. It was the predominant anti-communist paramilitary of the United National Party.

Assassination of Vijaya Kumaratunga 1989 shooting of the Sri Lankan politician and actor Vijaya Kumaratunga

Vijaya Kumaratunga, the Founder of Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, was assassinated by an assassin of Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya on February 16, 1988, while leaving his home at Polhengoda in Colombo. Shot in the head as he reached the gate, Kumaratunga died on same day at 12:22 pm, before taking into the hospital. He was the husband of former president of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumaratunga and with his funeral created an extended period of national mourning.

References

  1. ↑ University students protest student's slaying Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Death by killing Archived 4 August 2012 at archive.today
  3. ↑ The "village" in our political culture: A postscript to an undergrad’s death
  4. ↑ Ragging in our universities: A symptom or a disease?
  5. ↑ JVP-inspired violence leads to crackdown on Sri Lanka campuses Archived 18 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Lest we forget...
  7. ↑ PM orders report on murder of J'pura student Archived 16 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Sri Lanka Marxist student union lodges complaint with HRC". Colombo Page. 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  9. ↑ Samurdhi students funds misappropriated Archived 16 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.