Siva Senai

Siva Senai
சிவா சேனை
AbbreviationSS
LeaderMaravanpulavu Sachchithananthan
FounderMaravanpulavu Sachchithananthan
Founded12 October 2016; 8 years ago (2016-10-12)[1]
ECSL statusRegistered
Armed wingSiva Senai (H)
IdeologyHindutva[2]
Hindu nationalism
Shaivism
Right-wing populism
Political positionRight-wing[3]
ReligionHinduism
Election symbol
Nandi
Party flag

Siva Senai /ˈsɪvə sɛnɑː/ (Tamil: சிவா சேனை, romanized: Civā cēṉai, lit.'Army of Shiva') is a Hindu nationalist political group in Sri Lanka formed to protect the interests of Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus. The group was founded on 12 October 2016.[1] Maravanpulavu Sachchithananthan, a former United Nations official, is the founder of the group, which has received encouragement from the Indian political party Shiv Sena. Siva Senai spearheaded an initiative in December 2017 to allow Sri Lankan pilgrims to visit Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, India.[4] The group has also actively advocated against cattle slaughter in Sri Lanka.[5]

In 2018, supporters of Siva Senai held protests in Jaffna against cattle slaughter. It also protested against Muslim teachers in Hindu schools wearing Abaya, believing it to be an attempt of Islamisation of Hindus.[6]

  1. ^ a b The New Indian Express 2016.
  2. ^ Columbo Telegraph 2018.
  3. ^ The Hindu 2016.
  4. ^ The Hindustan Times 2017.
  5. ^ The Hindu 2020.
  6. ^ Fuller, Lisa. "Why is a Hindu group against teachers wearing abaya?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 November 2021.