Organizers failed to inform change of route

Sarath MALALASEKERA

Colombo DIG Anura Senanayake conducting investigations into the attack on the protestors near the Punchi Borella junction said that if the organisers had only informed him about the change of the venue this incident would not have occurred as the police squad would have been deployed in those areas.

The Colombo DIG said that they had deployed special police squads along the Borella junction to the Prisons Department and along the Punchi Borella junction to the Prisons Department. Those are the two areas which had been informed to the Police by the UNP organisers.

Without following the police direction and orders the organisers had taken a different route which the police squads were not aware of. The Police also had informed the UNP organisers not to proceed towards the Punchi Borella junction because a Pirith ceremony was held at the time near the Boo Tree junction. Disobeying the police request the protesters marched towards the Prison Department, Borella creating problems with several others who were at the Punchi Borella junction at the pirith ceremony stage and several Government supporters who were near the Prisons Department.

The duty of the organisers were to inform the police about the change of their route towards the Prisons Department. A special police team is conducting investigations into the incident on the direction of Colombo DIG Anura Senanayake.