A district coordinating committee meeting in Kilinochchi was abruptly suspended on Thursday after a series of heated confrontations involving MP Ramanathan Archchuna, prompting senior officials and administrators to walk out as police intervened to restore order.
The meeting, chaired by Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, began at 9 a.m. at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat. Tensions flared soon after Mr. Archchuna arrived late and became embroiled in a verbal clash with fellow MP Sivagnanam Shritharan, during which he allegedly used derogatory language. Mr. Shritharan walked out, protesting the chairman’s failure to control the situation.
The atmosphere deteriorated further when Mr. Archchuna accused Agriculture Minister K.D. Lal Kantha of irregularities in a coconut cultivation distribution program in Thiruvaiyaru. Officials rejected the claim, saying funds had not yet been released. Mr. Archchuna then turned his criticism toward the District Government Agent, accusing him of corruption and making remarks perceived as threatening.
The Government Agent challenged the MP to provide evidence, and soon after, all four divisional secretaries, departmental heads, and Secretariat staff walked out in protest. Heated exchanges continued between Mr. Archchuna, Minister Chandrasekar, and civil society representatives, with one confrontation nearly turning physical before staff intervened. Police eventually escorted Mr. Archchuna out, and the meeting ended around 11 a.m. without completing its agenda.
In a Facebook post later, Minister Chandrasekar described the suspension as “regrettable,” blaming “irresponsible and uncivilised conduct” without naming the MP. He said development forums should not become stages for personal political drama and stressed the need for firm action against disruptive behaviour.
The incident has renewed criticism of the minister’s handling of similar disruptions in Jaffna, where civil society figures say he failed to act decisively when Mr. Archchuna caused previous meetings to collapse. A widely circulated video showing the minister pinching the MP’s waist during a Jaffna meeting has intensified scrutiny, though the circumstances remain unverified.
Local journalists expressed concern that the minister might bar media from future meetings, as happened in Jaffna. Some reporters also argued that repeated disruptions have prevented key issues in the Northern Province from being addressed, while others questioned whether the chaos conveniently diverted attention from sensitive matters the government might prefer to avoid.
Minister Chandrasekar pledged that the committee would reconvene soon and take firm decisions to meet public expectations, insisting, “We will never abandon Kilinochchi.”
