The Federal Party begins a second phase of agitation, including members of the Muslim communities in the North and East. The satyagraha in Jaffna was aimed at stopping the functioning of the kachcheri. The campaign continued until 24 April and spread all Mullaitivu, Mannar and the Eastern Province. A state of emergency was imposed on 17 April. A press censorship was imposed; the Federal Party was proscribed; all public meetings and processions in the north an east were forbidden; a 48 hour curfew was imposed in Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticoloa, Mannar, Vavuniya; detention orders were issued on Federal Party leader Chelvanayagam and 14 other member of parliament.

Source
Most of the material presented here on the February 1961 agitation campaign is extracted from Witness to History: A journalist’s memoirs, S. Sivanayagam (2005); Satyagraha: The Freedom Movement of the Tamils in Ceylon, S. Ponniah (1963).

Extracts from Witness to History: A journalist’s memoirs
“The satyagraha proper was limited to approved volunteers of the party who were strictly forbidden from any form of violence, either by word or deed, even under the gravest provocation. But such was the tremendous enthusiasm generated by this resistance movement among all sections of the people, that it gave the impression of a popular uprising, resulting in an initial sharp reaction from the government. … The police trampled on the satyagrahis with their boots, pulled them by their hands and feet, lifted some of them and hurled them away while attacking them with batons. … [Enraged] by police violence [some] hurled stones at the police jeeps and trucks. Thepolice then used tear gas to disperse the crowd outside, which fell back for a while, and kept surging forward again. … The Kachcheri did not function. …

“On 21 February the satyagraha was led by the MP for Vaddukoddai A. Amirthalingam: “Although the police were present, armed with shields, batons and helmets, there was a marked restraint in their behaviour. On the third day, the police arrived at the secretariat at dawn and took up positions trying to prevent volunteers from blocking the entrances, but a party of 300 volunteers … moved up despite the brandishing of batons and half-hearted use of force. …

“[On the 23 February] women plunged into the movement. Out of 500 satyagrahis led by the MP for Chavakachcheri VN Navaratnam, about 80 women … took up positions at the main entrance. … leading Muslims of Jaffna decided to throw their weight with the movement. …

“On the 24th the campaign spread to Mullaitivu, Mannar and the Eastern province. On the 25th, a large procession of Muslims led by Muslim lawyers and businessmen joined the satyagrahis in Jaffna.

“On the 26th, Nominated MP and leader of the plantation Tamils S. Thondaman warned against suppression of the campaign and alerted plantation Tamils to store food and provisions for three months should a struggle for Tamil rights becomes necessary. …

“On the 27th satyagraha and picketing was launched in Batticoloa and administration was brought to a halt both in the North and East. On the 28th, an Opposition suggestiong in the House of representatives that talks be initiated with the Federal Party was summarily rejected by Finance Minister Felix Dias (Banadaranaike), saying that the government was not prepared to negotiate under pressure. …

“[In the evening of 17 April] a special train carrying a detachment of 350 soldiers and 15 officers of the Sinha regiment, exclusively composed of Sinhalese, left for Jaffna. … Once the MPs were taken away, army men, some of them carrying rifles, swooped on the passive satyagrahis, attacking them with rifle butts, belts and clubs. The sleeping volunteers woke up groaning and writhing with pain. They were trampled with boots, kicked and dragged away from the kachcheri entrances. … They pulled down the party’s “post office” structure, smashed up cars and bicycles parked in the vicinity, ripping tyres with bayonets and ramming windscreens. …

“On the 20th April, when the curfew was expired, a 12 hour curfew from 6 pm to 6 am was substituted. …

“By April 24, Chelvanayakam and 58 others, including 14 MPs were under arrest … Jaffna came under virtual army occupation. … Indisciplined , trigger-happy soldiers shot dead and injured persons outside curfew hours on the pretence of enforcing curfew.”

Quotations

“It is said that non-violence is the essence of any satyagraha movement. But the so called satyagraha movement carried on by the Federal Party is by no means non-violent. Last Thursday, a Federal Party member of parliament and his associates had attempted to use force to prevent a highly-placed government official entering the kachcheri premises. Last night I saw for myself the torn clothes of this official.” Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike, radio broadcast, 2 March 1961.

“The Federal Party has by its actions made it abundantly clear that their real objective is to establish a separate state. … [The government had acted] with the greatest restraint and patience. … [and is] now left with no other alternatives but to use all the forces at its command to establish law and order. It is not unlikely that a number of innocent people will suffer in various ways in consequence of these measures. … For any unfortunate happenings, the Tamil leaders must take the entire blame…” Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike, 20 April 2008.

At no time did we underestimate the might of the Prime Minister’s government. We are quite aware that she has powers enough to turn her armed forces against us. We were quite aware that she has powers enough to turn her armed forces against us. …The Prime Minister has made a radio speech touching on satyagraha. That speech is more benefiting an imperial dictator speaking to his subjects than a speech made by a democratic leader to her people. In fact the manner and and the contents of her speech correctly depict the true status of the Tamil-speaking people in Ceylon. The rule over them is indeed colonial imperialism. … In her radio speech just before her departure to Great Britain, she made an appeal to those whom she called reasonable Tamils , “To disown the actions of the mischief makers, namely the Federalists”. … The factual position is that there is no section of the Tamil-speaking people, certainly in the northern and eastern provinces, which does not fervently support the satyagraha movement.” SJV Chelvanayakam, 4 March 1961.