By Roy Denish
From courtroom controversy to parliamentary theatrics and street confrontations, Dr. Archchuna Ramanathan’s increasingly combative conduct has sparked growing criticism, raising fresh questions over political accountability, leadership, and the confidence of the voters who elected him.
From courtroom controversy to parliamentary theatrics and street confrontations, Dr. Archchuna Ramanathan’s increasingly combative conduct has sparked growing criticism, raising fresh questions over political accountability, leadership, and the confidence of the voters who elected him.
The confrontation in the dust of Periyavilan began like any other local land dispute, but it ended with a sitting member of parliament brandishing a government-issued 9mm Glock pistol at a crowd of angry residents.
Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna, an independent lawmaker representing the Jaffna Electoral District, had arrived at the disputed plot of land to clear it, claiming ownership. Local residents quickly confronted him, accusing the politician of trespassing. As the argument escalated, stones were thrown and weapons were bared, with some residents allegedly wielding clubs. Archchuna responded by drawing the semiautomatic handgun, which had been officially issued to him by the Ministry of Defence for personal protection, and waving it at the crowd.
The incident, captured on mobile phone video that rapidly circulated across social media, led to Archchuna’s arrest by the Ilavalai Police on charges of criminal intimidation and verbal threats under the Firearms Ordinance. Though he was later granted bail by the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court, the firearm incident stands as a volatile flashpoint in a political career defined by rapid escalation and public antics.
Public backlash against the lawmaker’s behavior reached a visible peak in June 2026, following a bitter verbal clash at a local government coordination meeting in Tellippalai. During the session, Archchuna engaged in a heated dispute with fellow Tamil lawmaker Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, directing abusive language and threats toward him.
The following morning, an offensive, 10-foot-tall roadside cutout of Archchuna was erected by anonymous detractors in the Gurunagar area on the outskirts of Jaffna. The protest display targeted recent remarks where he praised former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, replacing Archchuna’s actual surname with “Rajapaksa.” The banner also featured a deeply derogatory Tamil insult and was decorated with a prominent garland made of slippers and old shoes. Video footage later emerged showing a solitary Archchuna stopping his vehicle by the roadside to personally tear down the banner, tossing the display and the footwear garland into his car before driving away.
The firearm arrest and the slipper-garlanded protest are part of a broader pattern of unconventional and aggressive behavior that has characterized the medical doctor’s tenure since he entered the political arena in late 2024.
Long before drawing a weapon or confronting local councils, Archchuna disrupted the very first session of the 17th Parliament of Sri Lanka in November 2024. Upon entering the chamber, the newly elected independent lawmaker walked directly to the front row and sat in the seat traditionally reserved for the Leader of the Opposition. Despite repeated requests from parliamentary staff and fellow lawmakers to vacate the premier seat, he refused to move. The defiance forced the actual Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa, to take a seat at the far edge of the same row for the duration of the opening proceedings.
Archchuna’s volatile rhetoric extended to international relations during a parliamentary debate on an Inland Revenue amendment bill in May 2026. Using his allocated speaking time, the lawmaker launched into a fierce personal attack against Seeman, the leader of the Naam Tamilar Katchi political party in Tamil Nadu, India. Exploiting parliamentary privilege, Archchuna stated in Tamil that if he were able to bring weapons into India, he would shoot the foreign political leader, further threatening to bomb or shoot him if he ever set foot in Jaffna. The remarks drew widespread condemnation for using legislative time to issue death threats against a foreign entity.
The lawmaker, who previously served as the acting medical superintendent of the Chavakachcheri Base Hospital, has also drawn sharp criticism for his stance on social issues. He has aggressively challenged government initiatives aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ rights, labeling them “Western imports” that threaten traditional Tamil culture. During these public critiques, he drew severe backlash from human rights organizations after declaring homosexuality a mental illness and claiming that he, as a medical professional, could cure it.
His confrontational style has also alienated him from the northern healthcare infrastructure he once managed. Following repeated disruptions and interventions at regional medical facilities, the Jaffna Hospital Director threatened to hand the lawmaker over to the police, eventually issuing a directive stating that Archchuna was barred from entering the facility for any purpose other than seeking medical treatment as a patient.
