Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara, the Acting Inspector General of Police will appear before the National Police Commission (NPC), tomorrow over an investigation conducted by the NPC into the brutal assault carried out by the riot Police on protesting students in front of the University Grants Commission on Thursday
DIG Pujith Jayasundara
Jayasundara was appointed Acting IGP today due to IGP N.K. Illangakoon going abroad for an official visit.
Appearing before the commission will be one of the first tasks for Pujith Jayasundara as the Acting IGP. At the time of the assault on Higher National Diploma in Accountancy (HNDA) program students on Thursday Jayasundara was the senior DIG for Western Province.
In addition to Jayasundara several other senior Police officers too have been summoned by the newly formed NPC after Asian Human Rights Commission lodged a complaint urging a probe.
In addition, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka too have launched a separate investigation into the assault on students last Thursday.
Scenes of police assaulting students with batons and sticks after using water canons and tear gas went viral in the media generating wide spread condemnation.
However Police media Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara defended the assault noting the police used minimum force to disperse students who had disrupted the peace and obstructed the police from maintaining the law and order.
Gunasekera also criticised the role played by the media describing that some edited pictures were shown in a deliberate attempt to portray the Police action in a negative light.
Meanwhile, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today called for a report of the probe into the police assault on students to be submitted to Parliament.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake today criticised the Police action noting that officers had acted like thugs when quelling a student protest.
Dissanayake justified the protest by students noting that they had protested in a peaceful manner to attract the attention of authorities to several issues faced by them until the Police intervened to disperse them using brutal force.
Dissanayake, the opposition Chief whip said that the government should table the findings of several probes conducted on the incident as soon as the reports are available.
EDWIN RODRIGO / November 1, 2015
Police media Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara clearly stated on TV that force is supposed to be applied according to the following order:
1) Baton charge
2) Tear Gas
3) Water canon
This is clearly wrong. An official spokesman making a mistake like that is inexcusable. The fact that he is a lawyer makes it even worse.
The steps should be
1) Negotiate
2) Water canon
3) Tear Gas
4) Baton charge
And the negotiation stage was absent although the rest of the actual events followed the above order.
Our police should see and learn from the practices followed by Police of countries like South Korea and Hong Kong, where negotiations is the first and most important stage.
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Navin / November 2, 2015
Only sadists join the Police Force. That is why they should be kept on a tight leash.
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Ben Hurling / November 1, 2015
“Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara, the Acting Inspector General of Police will appear before the National Police Commission (NPC)”
Anybody familiar with the following Sinhalese adage:
“Horage ammagen pena ahanawa”
Cheers!
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Samare / November 2, 2015
WHAT IS THE COMPOSITION of NPC ?
What kind of candidates are they ?
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justice / November 1, 2015
It is now reported that the minister had consented to award a degree status to the diploma (which was the demand of the students), after increasing the course duration to four years from three, and, that the director general had failed to convey this to the students, thus allowing a protest to commence.
The police apparently do not know the use of the baton/truncheon without causing injuries which could cause fatalities and/or prolonged
illness.
Hitting on the head can cause internal bleeding with grave consequences, but not across the back, which causes maximum pain with minimum residual injury.
In the old days, baton-charges were thus carried out.
Assaulting persons on the head with batons is never done in civilised countries as it could cause extra- or subdural haemorrhage (dura is the outermost covering of the brain) with potential complications needing surgery.
Training policemen/women in the proper use of the baton/truncheon is an urgent necessity.
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Jagath Fernando / November 1, 2015
Yahapalanaya at work.!!
Pujitha has not even been questioned yet when there is so much evidence to show Police brutality
Ideally he should be suspended until investigations are completed.
This will not happen just like in the case of Central Bank bond deal.
Ranil has to respond quick
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gamini / November 1, 2015
This man is a critique of RW and a supporter of MR. Be happy that the Commission can inquire whereas earlier none of it happened under MR where everything was hushed up. There is no point seeking the resignation of the acting DIG, byt the DIG should take action of the Police personnel who beat the students, by removing them from the Police Force as a deterrent and a lesson for others. Police State days under MR are over and the Law should prevail for all alike. The Critiques just cannot stomach it.
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srilal / November 1, 2015
Gamini,
Jagath Fernando is right except the last sentence.this Pujitha character must take the full responsibility for the entire episode , he was there as the capacity of SDIG ;hence, if any thing went wrong under his command , he would take the blame . why couldn’t he prevent police thugs attacking unarmed students ? i’m not sure whether he is yet another Anura Senanayaka type SDIG or not ; nonetheless ,for strange reasons he has been promoted to acting DIG . as Jagath said ;instead, he should have been suspended .
PS: i heard that Mahinda lackey “Chamuditha Samarawicrama” the dubious character has been appointed as the media director or something at the president’s office then that Thilak Marapane’s apportionment to an important ministry , all are very confusing ! perhaps you are in a better position to explain as to what is really happening behind the curtain.
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srilal / November 2, 2015
correction ,
it should be
“for strange reasons he has been promoted to acting IGP “
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Paul / November 2, 2015
The famous Ranil appointed Commission lives again! We all recall his many other commissions. Shall we wait until the enquiry is over and someone is punished before pointing fingers at MR?
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gamini / November 2, 2015
Paul,
Only the Blind can not see the wrongs that MR has committed.
Srilal,
I concur that some of the things happening are very intriguing. Ranil cannot pull the wool over the eyes of all, So he better have a damned good excuse.
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Paul / November 2, 2015
Gamini I am not blind, Rajapakse was a monster.
‘Intriguing’ is putting it mildly, for how long more are they going to appoint brothers and friends? Yahapalanaya is going the way of Miracle of Asia and Dharmishta Society. Empty slogans for the consumption of fools.
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Mohan Bandara / November 1, 2015
High time this protest marches are given up by the so called educated individuals. If you have an issue just come up and talk you idiots are wasting our petrol and time with these marches.
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Native Vedda / November 1, 2015
Mohan Bandara
“High time this protest marches are given up by the so called educated individuals.”
I am sorry the protesters were students never claimed to be the educated lot.
“If you have an issue just come up and talk you idiots are wasting our petrol and time with these marches.”
Had the educated idiots listened to the student protesters the situation would have remained peaceful.
Those who marched peacefully are not only higlighting certain long festering issues, they are also fighting for your children and grandchildren.
What seems to be your problem? Have you ever talked to the protesters?
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srilal / November 1, 2015
NV ,
“What seems to be your problem?”
His problem seems to be his petrol and time , what a selfish douche bag !
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Paul / November 2, 2015
Is the acting IGP being thrown to the wolves to maintain the Yahapalanaya image? How about getting the policemen involved to appear before the commission?
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