Member of Parliament Archuna Ramanathan has been arrested in connection with allegations that he threatened two women with a pistol during a heated land dispute in the Periyavilan area of Jaffna.
According to police, while investigations into the dispute are ongoing, one of the women involved in the altercation with the MP was also arrested on Sunday (April 26).
Police state that the conflict arose when the MP attempted to perform a ritual cleansing or blessing of a plot of land he claims as his own, while another party also asserted ownership of the same property.
Background
The MP claims the land was confirmed as his by the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court and that permission had been granted for
construction.
However, when the MP visited the site, two women claimed ownership of it, which led to the heated confrontation.
The dispute escalated when the two women approached him and began questioning him. According to witnesses, the enraged MP then drew his firearm and threatened the unarmed women.
Previous Arrests
MP Archchuna was arrested in September last year, on charges of obstructing official duties during a protest in Colombo.
He was subsequently granted bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate.
Before becoming an MP, Archchuna was involved in a traffic accident in 2021, during which he was accused of assaulting the driver of the other vehicle.
An arrest warrant was issued against him in 2024, for failing to appear in court in relation to the case.
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