Police have put a special security plan into effect for today’s (28) annual Esala Perahera of the Devinuwara Uthpalawanna Sri Vishnu Maha Devalaya, which will go ahead with the participation of Kavadi dance troupes as scheduled.
Minister of Public Security Anand Wijepala said that alongside the Police, the Special Task Force (STF) has also been called in to help secure the procession.
The move comes after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had earlier recommended that the Kavadi dance be called off this year, following friction between two rival factions of organized criminal elements associated with the traditional performance at the Devinuwara Perahera.
That recommendation was reconsidered at a special meeting held yesterday (27) afternoon at the Matara District Secretariat, where officials decided to permit all groups that had taken part in the Kavadi dance in previous years to join this year’s event as well.
As a result, the full Devinuwara Esala Perahera — Kavadi dance included — will go on today under close Police supervision.
The security arrangements surrounding the event have meanwhile become a point of political contention. Former United National Party (UNP) MP Saman Ratnapriya alleged that the current government has no coherent strategy for ensuring public security.
Countering this, National People’s Power (NPP) MP Chandana Sooriyarachchi acknowledged that failing to properly evaluate and act on intelligence could amount to a lapse, but noted that such operational decisions rest with the Police. He argued that framing the issue as a government failure serves the agenda of certain interested parties.
Former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, for his part, said organized crime groups must not be permitted to exert influence or control over the country’s cultural and religious festivals.