Dismissal of Katana Cop over Easter Sunday negligence

I was taken aback to see the prominent caption of a news item on the above in the front page of the Sunday Island (June 18) as I knew that none of the big wigs who were earmarked for being subjected for action, as per the relevant Presidential Commission Report have yet been dealt with, even almost four years after the tragedy.

Upon reading further, I noted that what in fact had happened is that ” a sergeant attached to the Katana Police Station who had been on duty when the Easter Sunday terror attacks took place had been dismissed from service due to failure to carry out his assigned duties”, according to police headquarters.

Subsequent to the above Sunday Island news item, it was reported elsewhere that that the policeman belonged to the intelligence division of the Katana police. This additional piece of information could be a pointer to the present trend in trying to get rid of intelligence officials doing the right thing and keeping those officials who toe the line of the political bosses.

For a moment, think of the recommendations made by none other than the relevant Presidential Commission on the Easter Tragedy regarding action to be pursued against very high level officials and even the then head of state for failing to carry out their respective assigned duties, while having detailed advance information on this dastardly terror attack.

Over four years have lapsed since the tragedy and most of the officials still thrive, with some even getting promotions. All this is happening while the said report made at such a heavy cost to the public purse, sits idle along with its recommendations at key desks including that of the Attorney General’s Department, without any action, in spite of continuous public clamor for recommended action to be taken.

While nothing whatsoever about the foregoing has happened over such a long period regarding lapses at the highest level, any sensible reader will note that the above dismissal of a sergeant attached to the intelligence division of the Katana Police out of all places for failure to carry out his assigned duties during the terror attack, by charging him on 12 counts of disciplinary violations, is nothing but hilarious, as major blunders seem to have been committed elsewhere at much higher levels, as revealed by the Presidential Commission Report.

This means even belatedly, that the Law applies squarely only on the “small fry” while the “bigger sharks” , presumably on the good books of the powers that be keep thriving and even getting promotions for moving up the ladder. It is quite apparent that in practice the law in Sri Lanka does not hold equally for all, even though in theory it says something to the effect that it will apply equally for all irrespective of caste, creed, ethnicity, religion or social status etc.

For this situation, I will not hesitate to lay the blame squarely on the law enforcement officials who are paid by the public to do a job of work, in which they do not have to wait for instructions from the political hierarchy on what to do, but must do what is right pertaining to one’s mandate within the law. These officials must have the guts to do what is right, and stand up for the same, and their priority must be the welfare of the public who are their paymasters and not the politicians in power from time to time who come and go and are only policy makers elected by the public.

The Presidential Commission Report on the Easter Tragedy sits idle sans the implementation of its recommendations, because of total inaction by officials whose duty it is, to initiate relevant action, without waiting for instructions from the political hierarchy on what to do. At the highest level of priority and first and foremost among other things, Sri Lanka will not able to start moving ahead, and will remain in the abyss it is in, unless these undesirable trends at the level of the officials change for the better and the Rule of Law will apply equally to all in theory and practice. I do hope and pray that things will change accordingly in due course without delay, to pull this gem of a country out of the mess it is in, through an appropriate system change.

A.Bedgar Perera
Email – <bedgarperera@gmail.com>