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Ajith Rohana’s impartiality questioned  

22 Apr 2022

  • FSP, lawyers allege complicity in attempts to mislead court, and justification of murder
BY Dinitha Rathnayake  Several parties including political parties, lawyers, and civil activists have questioned the impartiality of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Attorney-at-Law Ajith Rohana, who is also the Senior Police Media Spokesman, in connection with the death of a protestor in Rambukkana.  Making a statement on social media about the court case related to the police shooting in Rambukkana on 19 April, that led to the killing of a protestor, Frontline Socialist Party Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said: “The Police first submitted an A-report (a reporting of facts about an incident that does not necessarily involve a crime) to the court on 20 April. The magistrate refused to accept an A-report, as there had been a murder here. After that, the Police quickly prepared a B-report and submitted it to the court. It referred to Section 298 of the Penal Code. That Clause applies to causing death by negligence not amounting to culpable homicide. That means that even the Police themselves admit that there was a death here. “Meanwhile, an officer of the so-called independent inquiry committee appointed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was present in Court along with SDIG Rohana. He intervened and blotted out the section relevant to the aforementioned Section 298 in the report submitted to the Court by the Police. Later, the lawyers informed the court about this. The magistrate strongly warned the officer and directed the IGP to conduct an investigation into contempt of court caused by deleting and distorting court documents. This is the independence of the independent committee of inquiry appointed by the Police.” Meanwhile, Attorney-at-Law Prasad Perera, making a statement in this regard, claimed that what Rohana did at a press conference was justifying this brutal murder by stating that the deceased, 41-year-old Chaminda Lakshan, a father of two from Narambedda, had two court cases against him. Meanwhile, Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President President’s Counsel (PC) Saliya Pieris, in a letter to the IGP, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Chairperson, and the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses, urged them to ensure that there is no interference whatsoever with the witnesses by the Police. Attempts to contact SDIG Rohana proved futile.


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