Tamil Nadu journalist Tamil Prabhakaran arrived in Chennai on Saturday
after the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) handed him
over to the Immigration Department for deportation.
The TID had apparently concluded after interrogation that he had no
terrorist links and had not indulged in terrorist activity, and that the
only fault was that he had violated visa regulations.
Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport, Prabhakaran claimed he was
psychologically tortured and subjected to probe like a ‘criminal or
terrorist’.
“I was subjected to psychological torture and repeatedly subjected to
investigations like a criminal or a terrorist when I had done nothing
wrong,” Prabhakaran said.
Prabhakaran, who had gone to Sri Lanka on a tourist visa, was detained
on December 25 in Kilinochchi district in the former war zone of North
Lanka by the local police. After overnight interrogation, they handed
him over to the Terrorist Investigation Division, which took him to
Colombo to find out why he was taking pictures of military installations
and interviewing Tamil politicians when he was on a tourist visa.
While Lankan authorities asserted that he was doing journalistic work
while being on a tourist visa and taking pictures of army camps and
troops, Prabhakaran categorically denied taking pictures of any military
area and said he had only captured a few photographs of certain civil
functions.
“Even they were taken in the presence and knowledge of Lankan authorities and the arrest came much later,” the journalist said.
Officials of the Indian High Commission in Colombo were given consular
access to the detainee and they had found him to be quite alright. After
investigations, TID told the High Commission that Tamil Prabhakaran had
no terror links but had violated visa regulations and, therefore, he
would be handed over to the Immigration Department for deportation.
In Chennai, he said: “I was repeatedly interrogated and they kept me in
handcuffs throughout my detention period, even when I was sleeping. I
was subjected to emotional and psychological torture.”
Claiming that the Lankan authorities treatment of him was a violation of
human rights, Prabhakaran said, “I was given petrol when I asked for
water and was subjected to several more types of torture that are a
clear violation of human rights. I will release proof for this shortly,”
he added.
