In the Eastern Province, Tamil officers at a Divisional Secretariat located in a Muslim area of the Batticaloa District have been denied permission to hold a Vaani Vizha (a cultural celebration honoring the Hindu goddess Saraswati, associated with education and arts).
The growing Islamic fundamentalism that once spread across the Eastern Province has yet to be fully eliminated. Despite changes in governments over the years, Islamic religious extremism still appears to exert significant influence within certain government institutions in Sri Lanka.
Particularly in Muslim-majority areas of the Eastern Province, extremist Islamic groups are reportedly still dominant in several government departments. As a result, Tamil officers working in these offices find themselves unable to even conduct the Vaani Vizha celebration, which is held nationwide.
Secretariats such as those in Eravur and Kattankudy are still being governed by officials who reportedly operate in fear of Islamic fundamentalist groups.
In the past, a Vaani Vizha held at the Eravur Urban Council Secretariat led to threats from an extremist Islamic group, claiming that the event was against Sharia law. That group not only issued threats against the then Divisional Secretary but also carried out a bomb attack in the area. Since then, permission for holding Vaani Vizha events at the Eravur Secretariat has continually been denied.
Tamil officers had hoped that under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, they would finally be allowed to hold the Vaani Vizha at the Eravur Secretariat. However, when they requested permission from the current Divisional Secretary, it was denied once again, as has become the norm.
Government departments are expected to operate in accordance with the directives of the central government.
Yet, in places like the Eravur Secretariat, officials continue to act in fear of Islamic extremist groups. This situation persists in several Muslim-majority government offices across the East.
This incident serves as a clear example of that ongoing issue.
Although the Anura government claims to have brought state institutions under its control, the reality is that in many Muslim-majority areas of the East, senior government officials are still unable to act independently due to continued threats and pressure from certain religious extremist groups.