Poya day which has an influence on lunatics makes Dharmapala Thero a fanatic

(Lanka-e-News- 07.July.2012, 11.55.PM) Because the Polonnaruwa Kanduruwala Temple chief incumbent Dharmapala Thero had taken the laws into the hands and is conducting himself as a religious fanatic , a situation has been created where the fundamental rights of the people are being flagrantly violated, according to our Polonnaruwa correspondent.

This fanatical Bhikkhu has been giving orders during the last several months to traders to close the shops during the Poya days. When the traders don’t obey his order ,this Bhikkhu has been sending his thugs and marauders and holding out death threats to the shop owners , as related by the latter , our correspondent further reports.

There are no laws in the country which require the shops to be closed on Poya days. But if such laws are introduced those must be done by the local body of that area.. Hence the people are questioning , who vested the Bhikkhu with this wrongful ‘right’ , when he should as a Bhikkhu set an example to others on good behavior following the true Buddha’s teachings remaining in the temple and making religious observances on this pious day without at least desecrating the sacred saffron robe he is wearing .

A majority of businessmen in Kanduruwala area are Muslims , and this monk is practicing the wrong side of Buddhism by inciting hatred against other races . It is also asked whether this monk has ulterior motives to kindle racial disharmony to help his thugs to go on a looting spree as in the past during communal riots.

On the last Poya day on 3rd July , this fanatical monk had given orders through loudspeakers while traveling in a vehicle to close shops . He had also sent his thugs and hooligans to those Sinhala and Muslim shops that were kept open on Poya day , and threatened them. The traders say , as business is poor in the present economic climate , even closing the shops for a day is to face loss. The traders ask , who is the individual who would not like to close the shop and take some rest at home ?

Ranjith Ratnayake , a Sinhala national who runs a business under the name of Shikara memory system was one such trader who was a victim of the threats of the Bhikkhu’s marauders on the Poya day.

Chanaka , a thug and henchman of Minister Maithripala Sirisena leading a group of hooligans had visited the shop and threatened to attack , set fire to the shop and kill this businessman if he does not close the shop. This same threat had been made to the Muslim youth who runs a shop next door. The two traders have lodged complaints with the Polonnaruwa police.

The complaint registration No. of Ratnayake is MCR 2489/ 12.

The police OIC instead of enforcing the law had told the Sinhala trader : though you behave like this here , if you go to Katankudy , you cannot behave like this, and you will have to do according to what the Muslims say.

It is clear that the police which should be protecting the law abiding citizens and allowing them to carry on their businesses , is instead instigating the racists and fanatics towards racism and communal disunity. The Muslim businessman had withdrawn his complaint under police pressures.

Ratnayake’s complaint is to be investigated and legally pursued . Meanwhile he is being relentlessly threatened via phone calls , our Polonnaruwa correspondent reports. Ratnayake has also made a complaint in this regard to the Polonnaruwa CID.

It is to be noted that this was a region where no racial or ethnic disharmony existed . But now this Dharmapala Thero is leading a group of thugs and marauders sowing seeds of racial discord , while the police too are fanning this evil fire . According to our correspondent , if this trend continues, sooner than later this situation will precipitate a massive holocaust.