Attack on house: Chamuditha questions delay in making arrests

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Hiru anchor Chamuditha Samarawickrema says Media Minister Dallas Alahapperuma should take up with Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera and IGP C. D. Wickremeratne the inordinate delay in making a breakthrough in investigations into the attack on his residence in the early hours of 14 Feb.

Samarawickrema said that after an unidentified group had thrown rocks and faeces at his residence at the Cambridge Court, Piliyandala, Minister Alahapperuma, in his capacity as the Cabinet Spokesman, had assured justice, thrice, at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefings.

“But, unfortunately, police haven’t so far apprehended the suspects or traced the vehicle used for the attack,” Samarawickrema said, urging police headquarters to reveal the progress in its investigation.

Hiru offered a Rs 500,000 reward for specific information leading to the arrest of those involved in the attack.

Referring to the daily communiques, issued by police headquarters, pertaining to incidents, detections and investigations, Samarawickrema asked why an update on the attack on his residence couldn’t be provided.

Responding to another query, Samarawickrema, one-time Media Director of former President Maithripala Sirisena said that the police provided him security after Kuvera de Zoysa, PC moved the Kesbewa Magistrate Court about a week after the incident.

Samarawickrema said that he wouldn’t challenge the police assessment of the threat to him and his family. “They have deployed one officer at my residence and another assigned to accompany me. However, they cannot drag the investigation indefinitely,” Samarawickrema said, the failure on the part of the police to apprehend the suspects despite the availability of CCTV footage of the suspects and the car.

The case comes before the Kesbewa Magistrate court on March 25.

Samarawickrema said he may have incurred the wrath because of his controversial interviews on Youtube ‘Truth with Chamuditha.’

The Media Minister might condemn the incident again when he addressed the post-Cabinet media briefing this week. There was no point in condemning the incident unless he intended to take tangible measures to have the conspirators exposed, Samarawickrema said.