The Madras High Court bench in Madurai on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by the police challenging a single judge order permitting the three-day inaugural function of the ‘Mullivaikkal Martyrs Memorial’ commencing in Thanjavur on Friday.
In its appeal, police said the judge had delivered his order ‘without giving breathing time to the authorities to examine the ground realities’. ‘Ulaga Tamizhar Peramaippu’ president P. Nedumaran said the memorial was not only dedicated to the Tamils killed during the final phase of war between LTTE and Sri Lankan armed forces at Mullivaikkal in 2009 but also for freedom fighters including Vanchinathan, Kattabomman and others who fought the British.
“More than 200 oil paintings of musicians, artists, scholars and others who contributed to the growth of Tamil language, music and culture have been showcased in a museum located on the memorial’s premises. The objective is to preserve and highlight the sacrifices of those great heroes. Instead of supporting this initiative, I am surprised the government is opposing it,” Mr. Nedumaran said.
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Explaining why the State was opposed to the memorial, a police officer said the ‘Ulaga Tamizhar Peramaippu Trust’ had encroached upon private and government lands.