The Aava Gang was a Sri Lankan outlaw motorcycle club, active in the Northern Province of the island. The group is indicated to be around 60 members, between the ages of 18 and 25.[1] The leader of the group is nicknamed ‘Haava’ (‘rabbit’ in Sinhalese) is known under the name Aava.[2] A total of 38 members, including the leader, have been informed to the parliament to have been arrested to date.[3]
Since the end of the Civil War, there have been a large increase in drug trade, sexual and gang violence, and robberies in Jaffna.[1] The group emerged after the end of the war, under unknown origins.
The gang took credit for the attack on two police intelligence officers in Chunnakam and left leaflets under the names "Prabaaharan Padai", "Sangiliyan Padai" and "Ellalan Padai" demanding the police to leave the Northern Province [1] as revenge for the death of two Jaffna University students, who were killed in a police shooting on the night of 20 October 2016 in Kokkuvil and the police attempted to cover up as an accident.[4][2] The sword wielding gang has been suspected to have been engaged in other crimes including robbery and kidnapping.[5]
UNP MP Rajitha Senaratne accused the Rajapaksas of being behind the Aava gang and accused them of creating the gang to create fear among civilians in the Northern Province.[1][6][7][2][8] However no evidence was provided and the Aava gang had been active for years as a gang of petty criminals and only gained national attention after its attack on police officers.[9] The group is also believed to have been influenced by South Indian films.[10] The Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research calls on government to put an end to the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to address gang violence in Jaffna and to release individuals held under the PTA for alleged involvement in the Aava gang.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "'Aava' gang is not a terrorist group, no involvement of army, the government assures". ColomboPage: Sri Lanka Internet Newspaper. 2016-11-15. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ a b c d "Student Killings, Aava Gang and the Securitisation of Jaffna" (PDF). Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research: 2. 2016.
- ^ "AAVA Gang leader arrested". Hiru News. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ "Two Suspected Members Of 'Aava' Gang Arrested In Jaffna". Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ "Police nab Jaffna criminal gang". Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ "Two Suspected Members Of 'Aava' Gang Arrested In Jaffna". UK TAMIL NEWS. 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ "'AAVA' criminal gang is Gotabhaya's brainchild: Rajitha – VIDEO | Ceylon News". www.ceylonews.com. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ "Confront intelligence structures and their involvement in Aava gang | Eye Sri Lanka". Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ^ Kuruwita, Rathindra (2016-11-08). "Rajitha Senaratne Made a Lot of People Happy By Stating "Aavaa" Group is Linked to Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Military Intelligence". dbsjeyaraj.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ "Sri Lanka police cracks down on violent gang with 'LTTE link'". The Indian Express. 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2020-08-16.