PIL seeks adequate safety for Indian cricket team in Lanka

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking adequate security for the Indian cricket team touring Sri Lanka for the tri-nation series has been filed in the Supreme Court today.

The PIL filed by three advocates A Veeramaniganda, A Joel Paul Antony and Raja Ram has also urged the apex court to give direction to the union government to issue proper "travel advisory" to all Indians visiting countries that are distrubed by terrorists and law and order problems.

According to the petition, the Indian cricketers and hundreds of fans visiting Sri Lanka for the tournament are vulunerable to attacks as the island nation had till recently witnessed serious ethnic conflict resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians.

The petitioners have claimed government, BCCI and others involved with the tour failed to conduct proper security drill before permitting the team to leave the country.

It alleged that unlike other countries, which regularly issue travel advisories to its citizens visiting terror-affected countries, the Indian government does not carry out any such exercise and in the process Indian citizens become vulnerable to life threats.

"The Sri Lankan government and Sinhalese chauuvinists constitute a distinct security threat to persons of Tamil oridin or persons who are sympathetic to the cause of Tamil Eelam who were massacred in lakhs by Sri Lankan government.