Mass “Black Day” Protest in Batticaloa

06-Feb-2026

.

Amid various restrictions, a large protest declaring Sri Lanka’s Independence Day as a Black Day was held on 4 February in Batticaloa by the Eastern Province Association of Relatives of the Forcibly Disappeared, together with Eastern University students.

Despite heavy police deployment to block a march from Kallady Bridge to Gandhi Park, protesters negotiated permission to conclude the demonstration at the private bus stand.

Thousands of participants from Batticaloa, Ampara, andTrincomalee districts joined the protest, chanting slogans demanding justice for the disappeared, accountability for atrocities in the North and East, an end to land seizures, repression, planned settlements, and attacks on journalists.

Tensions arose when police blocked access near White Bridge, resulting in confrontations. The protest ultimately concluded after the Black Day declaration was read by Eastern University students.

Protesters claimed that restrictions under the current administration exceeded even those experienced during previous governments, stating that every Independence Day remains a Black Day for them.