As the protest against the derogatory article on a Sri Lankan website against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa picked up pace, the authorities deported an Under-15 cricket team from Chennai for security reasons.

The cricket team arrived in Chennai to play the JM Haroon cricket tournament. However, in the wake of intensifying protests against the article, the police urged them to leave citing security reasons. They left for Colombo Monday morning.

The Under-15 private tournament is scheduled to be held from August 4-7.

The incident comes close on the heels of a derogatory article against Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on a Sri Lankan official website which also had a graphic image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The article has now been removed from the website titled "How Meaningful Are Jayalalithaa's Love Letters to Narendra Modi".

The article triggered widespread public and political outrage in the state prompting Sri Lanka to remove it and issue an unqualified apology to the two leaders.

Incidentally, in 2012, Jayalalithaa had, in line with her strident stance against Sri Lanka, ordered the sending home of a soccer team from that country which arrived here to play a friendly match.

The action came against the backdrop of her opposition to India training Sri Lankan military personnel not only in the state but also anywhere else in the country, saying the Lankan forces had committed war crimes against Tamils in the island nation.

An official in the Nehru stadium of the state government was suspended for giving oral approval for the match.



Meanwhile, the Tamil film fraternity protested against the article outside the office of Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner.