brand logo

IGP urged to arrest cops who obstructed protest 

11 Oct 2022

  • Lawyers protest at Galle Face in support of attacked protestors
  • Police claim public disturbance, provocation, lack of SLPA permission 
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Young Journalists’ Association of Sri Lanka (YJASL) has requested Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne to carry out an impartial investigation and subsequently arrest the police officers who had allegedly interfered with and harassed people during a programme held on Sunday (9) at the Galle Face Green in Colombo in commemoration of the people who died while taking part in the “aragalaya” (the people’s struggle) in the last few months. Speaking to The Morning, YJASL President Tharindu Iranga Jayawardhana claimed that police officers, including those attached to the Colombo Fort Police Station, were obstructing the said programme and handling participants in a “cruel and demeaning” manner. He charged that although the freedom of speech and expression of citizens is guaranteed in the Constitution, not only did the Police not allow the participants to exercise their rights, but they also harassed the peaceful assembly.  “We saw that police officers, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Nalin Dilruk, harassed a couple and a woman who were holding two children. In addition, several persons who participated in the protest including a schoolchild were arrested. Through the videos related to this incident, it can be observed that police officers have not only violated the fundamental rights (FR) of citizens, but also committed offences under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act,” he said. Taking into account the matter, Jayawardhana said, the YJASL has requested the IGP in writing to conduct an impartial investigation by the Special Investigation Unit of the Police regarding the behaviour of police officers, including Colombo Fort Police Officer-in-Charge Sagara Liyanage, Dilruk, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Roshan Dias. The YJASL has requested IGP Wickramaratne to arrest the relevant officers, present them before the court, and conduct a disciplinary inquiry against them. When contacted by The Morning, Police Media Spokesman, SSP, and Attorney-at-Law Nihal Thalduwa stated that the people who had gathered at the Galle Face Green on Sunday (9) were causing a disturbance to the public, provoking the people, and insulting police officers, and that therefore, the Police dispersed them and arrested several persons involved. He also said that the relevant permission had not been obtained from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), to which the Galle Face Green belongs, for the related programme, and that the Police had received a complaint from the SLPA that a protest was causing disturbance to other members of the public in the area. Meanwhile, a complaint was lodged with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) by several activists of the protest movement against the Fort Police, alleging that children and women were harassed by police officers during the protest held at the Galle Face Green on 9 October. Speaking to the media, activist Nipun Tharaka Paranawithana, who had filed the complaint, pointed out that a child affected during the protest is currently receiving treatment at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital. The Police and protestors, representing professionals including lawyers, had been involved in a tense confrontation during a protest march organised yesterday (10). Ceylon Teachers’ Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin, Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners Chairman and Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Senaka Perera, AAL Nuwan Bopage, YJASL President Jayawardana, and many other civil society activists and professionals participated in the protest, which started at 3 p.m. yesterday. Jayawardana also told The Morning that the Colombo Fort Police Station had requested the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court to issue an injunction order to prevent the protest from being held at the Galle Face Green, but that the court had rejected the request. During the protest, a large number of Police officers were seen deployed around the Presidential Secretariat at the Galle Face Green. The Police had also set up barricades to block half of the main road in front of the Secretariat. Speaking to the media during yesterday’s protest, Stalin charged that the people are not intimidated by the repressive programme being carried out by the Government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. He said that the main purpose of yesterday's protest was to inform the Government that the people are not afraid of the Police crackdown on peaceful protests, especially considering the events that took place on Sunday.  “At present, almost all professionals have no way of surviving. Malnutrition has increased because children do not have proper nutrition. The Government is trying to suppress the voices of the people who are suffering due to such problems. The only solution that the Government has is repression, but we want to inform the Government that the only solution is for the Government to resign. Until that happens, the people will not stop taking to the streets,” he said. Meanwhile, when the protestors began marching towards the Supreme Court complex in Hulftsdorp, the Police closed off the road near the Galle Face Green with barricades. At the time, the Police and Police Special Task Force (STF) officers equipped with batons and firearms had also been deployed in the area. Addressing the crowd from the roadblock at the time, Bopage stated that whenever the people protest peacefully and in a manner that does not cause inconvenience to others, the Police arrive on the scene and block the roads with barricades. Accordingly, he said, it is not the protestors but the Police who inconvenience the public. A group of police officers then arrived in a three-wheeler and informed the protestors, using loudspeakers, to disperse. At the same time, the protestors and the people gathered on the road were observed jeering at the police officers. A group of senior Police officers including the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Colombo Fort Police Station, who arrived at the site, informed the protestors that since the concerned Police Station had not been informed about a protest march six hours in prior, permission could not be granted to proceed with the protest. However, a group of activists who organised the protest claimed that at 11.57 p.m. on 9 October, they had sent an email informing the Colombo Fort Police Station OIC that there would be a protest march, with copies forwarded to IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne and the hRCSL. They were also seen showing the relevant email message to journalists and the relevant Police officers. Police officers including the Colombo Fort Police OIC continued to state that no such notification was made with regard to the protest march. The Police officers, in a sarcastic tone, said that the people who organised the protest in question have been performing various “shows” since some time. After that, the protestors left the site, while the police officers removed the barricades across the road to allow vehicular movement. On Sunday, the Police had similarly obstructed a peaceful protest to commemorate those who lost their lives during the “aragalaya” – which began by demanding the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Galle Face Green in Colombo in April – and arrested a total of five persons, including a 16-year-old, who attended the said protest.  It was observed that a large group of police officers, including senior officers of the Colombo Fort Police Station, arrived at the scene and informed the participating activists to leave the place. The police officials mentioned that since the Galle Face Green area was under Government ownership, the people are not permitted to hold protests there. A large number of police officers had gathered at the Galle Face Green and were seen in several videos which circulated online to be arresting many of those present. Also, when the police officers attempted to forcibly apprehend some men and women with young children in their hands, those present protested strongly.  


More News..