Tamils protest Bachchan’s proposed Sri Lanka visit

MUMBAI - Hundreds of Tamils Sunday protested outside the bungalow of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, shouting slogans against his decision to visit Sri Lanka as chief guest for the India International Films Awards (IIFA) function in July.

“We urge him not to attend the function in Colombo as a symbol of solidarity for the Tamilian cause in Sri Lanka. Tamils have been subject to atrocities and war crimes perpetrated by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government in that country,” C. Rajendran, spokesperson for the protesters, told IANS.

The protesters marched from Bachchan’s Pratiksha bungalow to his Jalsa residence, where a delegation met him and two IIFA office bearers, who assured the representatives that they would convey the sentiments of Tamils to the IIFA governing board and take a suitable decision.

Later, Rajendran told mediapersons that the Sri Lankan government had allegedly killed over 1.5 lakh Tamils during its war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the last couple of years. He claimed that over 3.5 lakh Tamils continue to face a “hostile administration” in that country.