CPI(M) protest against Lankan President

CPI(M) workers today held a demonstration here demanding that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa be tried before the International Court of Justice for alleged war crimes.

"The Sri Lankan President should be tried in international court and punished. The Centre should take steps for the same," CPI(M) leader Sampath said.

The central government should take steps to prevail upon the Lankan government to provide equal rights to Tamils in the island republic.

A UN report on the Lankan civil war released in New York last month had said most of the civilians lost their lives during shelling by Sri Lankan troops in the final stages of the war with the LTTE in 2009. The UN panel estimated 40,000 people were killed in the conflict.

Sampath alleged that the Centre was remaining silent on the UN report.