Mannar incident:

Suspects further remanded

Sarath MALALASEKERA in Mannar

Panadura Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake specially assigned to hear the Mannar incident on Monday further remanded the 13 suspects who had been remanded earlier in connection with the alleged attack on the Mannar magistrate’s court premises and damaging the court premises.

The magistrate ordered the suspects to be remanded till September 10.

At the commencement of the proceedings the magistrate observed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was conducting an excellent investigation in connection with the incident at the Mannar magistrate’s court premises.

At the outset Senior State Counsel Sudarshana de Silva who appeared for the prosecution with CID Inspector Roshan Masimbula submitted that the CID is conducting investigations to arrest several more suspects who had been involved in the attack on the Mannar magistrate’s court premises. Some of the suspects had left the area after the incident the Senior State Counsel said. Senior Attorney Anura Medagoda who appeared for the suspects submitted that an application for bail in respect of the suspects will be made before the next date.

The magistate allowed an application made by CID Inspector Masimbula to produce several productions recovered from the Mannar and Vavuniya police areas in connection with the atttack on the Mannar magistrate’s court premises. During the proceedings tight security prevailed in and outside the court premises supervised by SP K. Wijesena and ASP Udaya Herath.

Senior Attorney Anura Medagoda with Attorneys Ghazali Hussein Shiraz Noordeen , N M Saheed and Mishmi Godellawatte appeared for the suspects.