The Friday Forum has called for accountability for deaths of citizens in Police Custody, expressing grave concern about what it said was the curious manner in which four suspects in the Kamburupitiya double murder of a police constable and his wife died.
Jayantha Dhanapala
Issuing a press release, the Friday Forum says this is not the first time that suspects in Police Custody have been shot in “retaliatory fire” or “drowned”.
By a “coincidence” this seems to happen when the suspects are accused of killing police personnel, the Friday Forum said.
The following is the full text of the media release issued by the Friday Forum, signed by Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala and Shanthi Dias;
Accountability for Deaths of Citizens in Police Custody
The Friday Forum notes with grave concern the curious manner in which four suspects in the Kamburupitiya double murder of a police constable and his wife, have died: the first, where a handcuffed suspect taken to show the police where weapons were hidden, produced a gun and fired at the police and was killed in retaliation; the second, where two handcuffed suspects suddenly jumped into the river in an attempt to flee from the police; and the last where the chief suspect, hiding in the Naigala forest, threw a hand grenade and was killed when police, searching for him, fired in his direction.
This is not the first time that suspects in police custody have been shot in ‘retaliatory fire’ or ‘drowned’. By a “coincidence” this seems to happen particularly when the suspects are accused of killing police personnel.
The Friday Forum raises as an issue of public concern, the need for answers to the following questions:
- Has the IGP ordered an investigation into these killings, to see if police officers involved have followed police protocol and procedures in acting in this manner?
- Have any police officers been taken to task or faced disciplinary action owing to lapses in investigations in previous incidents of such a nature, in an internal Police inquiry, as opposed to those resulting from Fundamental Rights actions filed by families of the victims through courts?
In order to dispel any possible rumours of a cover up and to allay the deep rooted suspicion of members of the public against police action, (or inaction) we urge the Inspector General of Police to not only conduct an independent investigation in to these killings but also to publish the findings, and the follow up action taken when there are errant police officers.
K.A Sumanasekera / December 17, 2013
Will this Danapala and his Friday mob also attend the Pirith and Dana at Sirikotha?…
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Edddie / December 17, 2013
[Edited out]
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sarojini / December 21, 2013
This Friday Forum is where all the jokers are.
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James Chance / December 17, 2013
Good that the Friday Forum noticed and spoke up about these killings. But much more is needed: ironic mentions of the “curious” nature of these and other killings isn’t enough. Asking the police to investigate itself isn’t enough. If even wealthy, educated, politically-connected eminent people like Dhanapala and his colleagues are too timid to speak boldly and denounce clearly the systematic nature of police and military impunity and the deliberate destruction of Sri Lanka’s judiciary, how can we expect others to do it? It’s high time they and others in the Colombo middle class took stronger action both in Sri Lanka and at the international level. Otherwise, they and their friends will one day be at the other end of the police “encounter”.
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Patta Pal / December 18, 2013
Absolutely right , it is only a matter of time this will happen unless we speak up for right and wrong.
Acting and Crime with impunity MUST STOP
It is time they are arrested, accused, tried and suffer the punishment laid down in law if found guilty.
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A.T.Kumar / December 17, 2013
Hello Mr Sumanasekara Mr. Jayantha Danapala is a gentlemen to his finger tips who will call a spade a spade.
Well done Sir we need more people like you. in this country. Keep it up.
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K.A Sumanasekera / December 18, 2013
This gentleman Danapala should go to Kamburu[itiya and tell the poor there, that he is not happy about the Police killing those innocent citizens in handcuffs..
And he wants the IGP to launch an investigation..
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punchinilame / December 18, 2013
The voice of the Sinhala intelligentsia is very very slack in matters
effecting SL Society in general. The politicians acts of impunity are
not questioned or debated, more so by the Opposition, whilst only a
tiny section of the media deals on such matters. This is therefore a
curse on SL.
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Patta Pal / December 18, 2013
I beg to disagree. The opposition is constantly pointing this out, but as the Govt. control the press directly or indirectly through intimidation, you have no clue that they in fact are. Just Google and find the respective pieces, I know Eran Wickremaratne pointed this out already, and one paper printed it out not the others!
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Patta Pal / December 18, 2013
When the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense orders that these people (suspects – innocent until proved guilty in a Court of Law not in a Kangaroo Court) are killed, can the Secretary of the Ministry of Law & Order, under whom the IGP operates rescind that order?
Yes he can. However as the IGP got the Order direct from the Sec to the Ministry of Defense he did not ask the the Sec to the Ministry of Law & Order whether he should obey, and just passed on the order to the field commanders to carry them out. Take no prisoners. Sounds familiar.
Should the Secretary of the Ministry of Law & Order ask the IGP to resign for his misconduct for taking orders from someone who has no authority to give orders? Yes he should.
Why has he not? Obviously because we know who gives the orders around here no matter what the command and control procedures in place are.
Simply put there is NO law and order in Sri Lanka, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order is just a powerless toothless figurehead to further fool the masses into believing what is not accurate!!
Has anyone really got any doubt on the rationalization here? If so please state your case.
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A. Silva / December 19, 2013
I remember in 1971 Premawathie Manamperi’s case \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\army Officer took the defence stating he got orders from above not to keep prisinors. His superior wAS AT THAT TIME WAS IN Australia but the Govt got him down to lead evidence to deny same.Court held that army officer should not obey illegal orders even if it come from the superior. Finally Captain Wijesuriya was given jail sentence later he died while in Prison.
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Palayang yako! / December 20, 2013
The Friday Forum is very much part of the problem and NOWHERE close to being a solution because they keep giving “democratic dissent” as practiced by the Rajapassa Regime a degree of credibility. They are nothing but a very sad and TRAGIC joke on everyone who believes that this mob should be pushed out.
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