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| Thursday, 26 June 2003 |
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by Sarath Malalasekera Inspector General of Police T. E. Anandarajah who took prompt action into the complaint made by the President of the Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL), President's Counsel Ananda Wijesekera yesterday directed CID DIG Lionel Gunatilleke to conduct an investigation into the assault on Attorney-at-Law W. Dayaratne and to submit a report to him as early as possible. The IGP had also informed the BASL President that investigations revealed that on the night in question, a strength of 30 officers from the City Traffic Police had been deployed for Night operations in the Colombo South Division. Amongst these policemen were Police Constables Divitotawala and Maddumage, who had been detailed at Dickmans Road and Havelock Road junction. At about 10.45 p.m. a car with NO GN 1009 proceeding from Thimbirigasyaya towards Kohuwala was ordered to stop by Constable Divitotawela. This car crashed into the Constable and went without stopping. Two police officers attached to the Terrorist Investigation Division who were on another assignment, on seeing this incident pursued the car which drove up to Murugan Road, Colombo 6, where the driver of the car Jayakrishnan was taken into custody. The mother of the driver too was in the car. The T 56 rifle possessed by the injured Constable was embedded in the shattered windscreen of the car. Later the driver called out for someone who came out and introduced himself to the Police Officers as a lawyer and requested permission to accompany the driver to the Police Station. However, one of the Police officers got into the car and asked the driver to proceed to the Police station, followed by the lawyer in his car. Attorney Dayaratne alleged that the car stopped at the scene of the incident where he saw a policeman assaulting Jayakrishnan and when he intervened, he too was assaulted and subsequently taken to the police station where he was detained until an ASP had him released. The IGP had informed the BASL President, since neither Dayaratne nor Jayakrishnan could name or identify the assailants by their regimental number, the CID to date has recorded the statements of 57 Police officers, which includes officers who were on night mobile patrols and other assignments, who may have come to the scene paying special attention to those who answered to the description given by Attorney Dayaratne. About 15 more statements of Police officers have to be recorded. All these Police officers would be subjected to an identification parade with a view to instituting legal action against the perpetrators, the IGP stated in his letter to the BASL President. |
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