IGP and HRC urged to conduct probe

Retired Major General Kithsiri Ekanayake has called upon IGP Weerasooriya to inquire into the circumstances under which the Beliatta police arrested him in late August on a murder charge, in addition to implicating him on digging for treasure, in his own land, in the Beliatta police area.

Ekanayake has also complained to the Human Rights Commission (HRC), as well as the Police Ombudsman, in this regard.

Ekanayake, who served the Army for 36 years, before retiring in February 2021, said that he still found it hard to believe that the police arrested him on a claim made by a 14-year-old boy of seeing four or five persons taking a woman to the land owned by him and cutting her head off while a ritual was taking place.

Responding to The Island queries, the retired officer said that he obtained necessary approvals from relevant authorities to establish an agrivoltaics project meant to use land, simultaneously, for both solar energy generation and agriculture. “In fact, before we conducted ‘pooja’ to seek blessings, I contacted the OIC of the Beliatta Police Station, over the phone, as he was not present at the station at the time I visited,” the SLLI retired officer said. According to him, the IGP, as a person who rose to the highest rank after having joined the service as a constable, would find it relatively easy to understand how the ordinary people were subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment.

The second witness, who also gave evidence, happened to be 17-year-old Induwarage John who had been previously produced in the same court for a narcotics-related offence. The Magistrate has found fault with the police for producing such a witness.

Gramasevaka Samansiri Abeygunasekara told court that the retired officer obtained approval from the relevant authorities to set up, what he called, a solar project.

Having considered the 14-year-old eyewitness Epitakaduwa Lokugamage Thenul Devunaka’s evidence and that investigations conducted by the Special Task Force (STF) and other specialised personnel hadn’t revealed the disappearance of a female of about 18 years of age in the country and no digging had taken place at all, Acting Magistrate Shyamila Butawatta, on 18 September, terminated the proceedings on the basis that under section 186 of the Penal Code a successful prosecution couldn’t be achieved. The Magistrate pointed out that the Archaeology Department has declared that the land in question was not an archaeological site and there was no evidence to suggest that digging for treasure took place.

Magistrate Butawatta also directed the releasing of five suspects along with court productions.

Ekanayake of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) had been assigned to the Task Force 1/58 Division and was involved in the operations throughout the Vanni campaign. Ekanayake survived a mine blast, near Kalmunai point, on 17 November, 2008, amidst intense ground operations, both in the west and east of Vanni.

Ekanayake said that he was in remand at the Angunakolapalessa Prison for nearly four weeks and, one one occasion, he felt so disappointed when a television presenter quoted President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as having said how a Major General was digging for buried treasure. “The police should be ashamed for treating people like this. I served the country at a time many feared to join the services. Just imagine what those who served the military and especially those who fought under my command think of me when the media reported what transpired in a court. I sincerely hope the IGP will look into this matter without delay.”

Ekanayake said that he couldn’t help but weep on the floor of the Angunakolapalessa Prison when the TV announcer made humiliating remarks.

Ekanayake said that at the time he was locked up at the Beliatta Police Station, a person, in civvies, addressed him in filth, while the police assaulted two of the five persons arrested on that day.

Former Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, and Attorneys-at-Law Edward Jayasinghe, Sumendra Fernando, Bhathiya Malagala and Imali Kurugama appeared for the suspects. Initially, Attorney-at-Law Mohotti appeared for the suspects. The suspects, included soldier A.P. Manjula, on leave prior to retirement, an assistant ‘yakaduru’, a traditional drummer and a person engaged in helping ritualistic performances.

By Shamindra Ferdinando