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More than one Kandakadu inmate assaulted by military? 

04 Jul 2022

By Safrah Fazal More than one detainee had been assaulted with electric wires and rods as a form of “punishment” at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, which eventually led to the death of one detainee last Tuesday (28 June) and the escape of over 500 inmates, The Morning learnt.  Well-placed sources informed The Morning yesterday (3) that the assault on the inmate at Kandakadu last week was not an isolated incident, and that four to five instructors at the rehabilitation centre have been known to punish inmates using wires and rods, despite clear instructions to refrain from ill-treating or assaulting the detainees.  Last Friday (1), the Welikanda Police arrested two Army staff sergeants and two Air Force sergeants, who were serving as assistant instructors at the facility, in connection with the inmate’s death. They were produced before the Polonnaruwa Magistrate’s Court last Saturday (2) who ordered them to be remanded till 14 July. When The Morning contacted Army Spokesman Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne yesterday with regard to the allegations against the military personnel, he said that he does not have information on the said allegations, as the Army is only responsible for the security of the perimeter at the rehabilitation centre.  “Although the arrested are military personnel, they are officers who are on secondment and hence their duties and responsibilities lie with that particular establishment for that duration, which in this case is the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, who falls under the Ministry of Justice,” he emphasised.  Last Wednesday (29 June), the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) alleged that the suspicious death of an inmate at the Kandakadu Centre, following which the mass escape of over 500 inmates also occurred, was due to an assault by an Army officer.  Speaking to The Morning, CPRP General Secretary Sudesh Nandimal Silva claimed: “The Army oversees the rehabilitation of inmates at Kandakadu. As per the information that we have received so far, an Army officer had assaulted the said inmate, which led to his death.”  He also claimed that according to sources, fellow inmates were provoked by this incident, leading to unrest and the subsequent escape. When contacted by The Morning last Wednesday, Police Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Nihal Thalduwa said that an investigation was being carried out by the Police (under the supervision of the SSP in charge of the Polonnaruwa Division, with further Police teams to be assigned) into the death of the inmate.


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