President of the Rajanganaya Joint Farmers’ Association has been arrested last evening (01), said the Police.

Meanwhile, the police are conducting further investigations to apprehend several other individuals for unruly behavior during the protest in Thambuttegama on Wednesday.

57 persons who were arrested during Thambuttegama protest were produced before Thambuttegama Magistrate Court and they were remanded till March 5, yesterday.

A tense situation was reported at Tambuttegama town on February 28 as police fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters who were attacking the Thambuttegama Police Station with stones.
 
A large number of villagers gathered near the police station and staged a protest blocking Kurunegala-Anuradhapura road at Police Junction in Thambuttegama.

The protest was launched against granting permission to a Chinese bottled water company to utilize the Rajanganaya Wewa, which is supplying water to 17,000 acres of cultivations.

However, a decision was taken yesterday to temporarily suspend the Rajanganaya drinking water project, which had been the cause for the tense situation in Thambuttegama.

Anuradhapura district secretary R.M. Wanninayake said that a decision on whether the project will be recommenced will be taken after discussions with representatives of farmers, officials of the irrigation department and other relevant authorities.