Following opposition by several political parties and organisations, a high-level Sri Lankan delegation led by Sri Lankan Minister Reginald Cooray has cut short his visit to the city and hurriedly returned to Chennai. The delegation arrived in the city on Wednesday night and was staying in a luxury hotel.
He and other delegation members were scheduled to visit the Sugarcane Breeding Institute the next day.
On learning about the visit of the Sri Lankan minister, several organisations prepared to stage a series of agitations in front of the hotel where Cooray was staying and the institute to condemn the visit.
However, just before the cadre arrived at the spot, Cooray hurriedly left the hotel and, amid tight police security, entered the airport around 8 am. Cadre of various political parties staged protests in front of the hotel. Around 80 cadre of MDMK, PDK and VCK were arrested by the police. He left for Chennai on a flight that left around 10.30 am.
Functionaries of the political parties said that a few institutions in the city, with scant regard for the sentiments of Tamil people, were repeatedly inviting people from Sri Lanka.