Colombo, October 3 – Serious allegations have emerged against the Kandana Police for allegedly violating fundamental rights by unlawfully arresting and detaining a man, torturing him. This not only violated the basic rights of the individual and criminal laws, but also ignored the recommendations from the Hon. Supreme Court and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, as well as the circulars issued by the Inspector General of Police.
Reports indicate that Thilina Chanaka Fernando, 34, a resident of Suduwella, Ja-Ela, was arrested by Kandana Police around 2:30 a.m. on September 29 at the rented house where he was staying. His wife claims that during the arrest, police officers kicked Fernando while another officer struck him with a hosepipe.
The next day, when Fernando’s wife and her housemate went to the Kandana Police to inquire about him, they were also arrested and detained. They were released on October 1, after Fernando’s mother filed a complaint with the HRCSL. However, Fernando has not been released or brought to court since his arrest.
When HRCSL inquired about Fernando’s arrest, Kandana Police allegedly misled the Commission by denying that he was in custody. After numerous complaints, HRCSL officials visited the Kandana Police to start an investigation. The police then acknowledged the arrest and promised that Fernando would appear in court today (October 3). The Commission has recorded Fernando’s statement and instructed the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) to present him to a judicial medical officer before his court appearance.
In a troubling turn of events, it was revealed that before the HRCSL visit, Kandana Police allegedly threatened Fernando, instructing him to claim he was only arrested that day.
Fernando’s mother is now questioning the legality of the police actions:
“Do the police have the right to detain my son illegally for four days and torture him?”
“Do they have the right to unlawfully detain his wife and the owner of the house?”
“Do they have the right to mislead the Human Rights Commission?”
All eyes are now on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), as the public waits to see what actions will be taken against the Kandana Police for these alleged illegal actions.