It has been decided to resume the Kavadi dance, which was suspended during the annual Esala Perahera of the Uthpalawanna Sri Vishnu Maha Devalaya in Devinuwara. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has recommended that the Kavadi dance be removed from this year’s Perahera due to the clash between two underworld figures named Kanjipani Imran and Dehibale Malli.
As a result, the government’s stance has been severely criticized on social media platforms, and a discussion was held at the Matara District Secretariat this afternoon regarding the uncertain situation.
At the meeting held with the participation of the Minister of Public Security, Mr. Ananda Wijepala, it was decided to grant permission to the 45 Kavadi dance groups that danced last year to dance in this year’s Perahera as well.
The discussion was attended by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya and Matara District Secretary Chandana Thilakaratne, among others.
It was further decided in this discussion to deploy additional Police Special Task Force and police for security at the procession to be held tomorrow (28).