A tense situation continued at the Jaffna University on January 9, as dozens of locals, students, and politicians gathered overnight, protesting the removal of a war memorial on campus, reports The Hindu. According to students and eyewitnesses, on January 8 university authorities bulldozed a sculpture erected in memory of several thousand civilians brutally killed in the final phase of the civil war in 2009, in Mullivaikkal in Sri Lanka’s northern Mullaitivu District. Jaffna parliamentarian S. Shritharan described the developments as “very disturbing.” “This is a deliberate, provocative act, knowing well that memorials are to do with people’s emotions. After a relatively peaceful period here, this act will trigger much pain and anger, especially among our youth. That is very worrying,” he said. “I also feel the state has tactfully used the VC to carry out this, pitting some Tamils against others, while achieving what they want,” he added.