Deputy Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Neomal Perera said that he had raised the issue with the Indian High Commission in Colombo as well as the Sri Lankan mission in south India.

A group of 184 Sri Lankan pilgrims, who were prevented from leaving Tamil Nadu by an angry mob on Monday, came under attack when their convoy was heading for the Trichy airport on Tuesday.

Perera said that a special flight was deployed from Sri Lanka to bring back the pilgrims on Tuesday night.

Several Sri Lankan buildings in Tamil Nadu include a bank, a Buddhist Temple and the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines.

Perera said that India had assured the security of Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu and he hoped that the assurance would be implemented on the ground.

The Sri Lankan government on Monday night issued a travel warning to Sri Lankans visiting southern India following a spate of incidents targeting Sri Lankan nationals.

The External Affairs Ministry said that it was compelled to issue the travel advisory after the Sri Lankan pilgrims visiting a church in Tamil Nadu became the latest victims of intimidation.

As a result, Sri Lankan nationals have been told by the government to desist from undertaking visits to Tamil Nadu until further notice.

Tamil Nadu politicians have been agitating over the past several weeks against Sri Lanka over allegations of human rights abuses targeting Tamils committed during and after the war.