June 07, Colombo: Leader of the Tamil National People’s Front Jaffna District Parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has been arrested at his residence in Colombo.

Police said a team of officers attached to the Maruthankerny and Jayapuram police stations arrested MP Ponnambalam for obstructing Police duties.

The MP is accused of verbally abusing Police officers and obstructing police duties near a GCE O/L examination center in Vadamarachchi East area in Jaffna on the 2nd of June.

After the police reported the incident to the Kilinochchi court, the Kilinochchi Magistrate's Court imposed a foreign travel ban against Mr. Ponnambalam yesterday (06).

Meanwhile, the police arrested two more people yesterday in connection with the incident that took place near the examination center.

The MP has lodged a complaint that he was attacked by a group of people identified as police officers while he was engaging with the public.

However, in a video of the incident widely circulated on several social media platforms it appeared that the MP was engaged in a confrontation with the police officers, who were in plain clothes and the policemen were running away when the MP grabbed one of the police officers.

It is reported that a heated exchange has ensued when Police officers who were providing security to a GCE O/L examination center had requested MP Ponnambalam to call off a public meeting at a nearby playground to avoid disruption to the students taking the exam.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles has ordered the Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police of Jaffna to provide a detailed report on the incident.