Two Tamil women activists were taken into custody yesterday (05) as they attempted to meet president Ranil Wickremesinghe who is now touring the north.
The president travelled by air on a four-day visit there and was participating in a district coordinating committee meeting at the town hall when the arrests were made.
Police prevented protesting members of the association of missing persons from entering the premises.
Secretary of its Vavuniya branch Sivanandan Jenita and Meera Jesmine were then arrested and dragged into a bus, video footage by the media showed.
Police claimed to have obtained a court order against Jenita that prevents her from holding protests.
Families of missing persons are on a campaign for more than 2,500 days to demand justice for their loved ones.