Ex-top cop urges police to be prepared for any eventuality as protests also have political undertones

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Retired Senior DIG Merril Gunaratne says the police should quickly adopt a contingency plan to meet large scale, often violent and simultaneous protests as the current turmoil is unlikely to end soon.

“Law enforcement authorities are facing quite a challenge. Those at the helm of public security operations must take into consideration there is a political background to the rapidly developing situation, the author of ‘Cop in Crossfire’ and ‘Perils of a Profession’ told The Island yesterday (20).

The outspoken retired policeman, who headed the country’s premier intelligence arm for a long time among other positions was commenting on clashes between the police and those blocking the main railway line close to the Rambukkana railway station on Tuesday (19).

Noting that the police had opened fire over 15 hours after the protesters blocked both the railway line and major roads via Rambukkana, Gunaratne said the police should be firm with protesters but issuing orders to open fire should definitely be the last resort.

Gunaratne said that the National Police Commission (NPC) should inquire into the incident. Responding to another query, Gunaratne said that the police shouldn’t ignore the possibility of interested parties stepping up protests in support of the ongoing ‘Go Gota Home’ campaign opposite the Presidential Secretariat.

“Law enforcement authorities should be also mindful of other unexpected developments,” Gunaratne said, referring to the recent dispute between a group of Army riders and the police deployed at an entry point to the Parliament where protesters interfered with vehicles leaving the House. The police earned the respect of the public for the way the senior officers at the scene thwarted possible incident involving the Army and protesters, Gunaratne said.

The former Senior DIG said that the police appeared to have been unprepared to face large scale protests. Close on the heels of violent protest at President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence at Pengiriwatte, Mirihana, the public staged a countrywide protest on April 03 in spite of the curfew, Gunaratne pointed out.

“They seemed to be determined to pursue carefully planned action at selected places as part of their overall strategy,” Gunaratne said, urging the police to be prepared to face any eventuality.

Police spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa told The Island that in addition to the police, the Special Task Force (STF) and the Army, too, had been deployed to enforce the curfew imposed by the IGP in the Rambukkana police area on Tuesday night. Attorney-at-Law Thalduwa reiterated accusations that some of those engaged in the protest tried to set ablaze one of the two fuel bowsers that had been held there. The police spokesman alleged that some even tried to set fire to the service station.

SSP Thalduwa said that contrary to initial reports, only 14 protesters had been wounded and one of them succumbed to his injuries. Of them perhaps five or six had received gunshot injuries whereas 20 police officers, including an SSP and SP received wounds as a result of them being hit by rocks. Of them, 14 had been admitted to the Kandy hospital, SSP Thalduwa said, adding that the dead was a 45-year-old person granted bail in a murder case. Among those who had been wounded was another person accused in the same case, the police spokesperson said.

Former DIG Gunaratne said that the police need political leadership at this juncture. The presence of capable Public Security Minister to deal with the issues at hand is of pivotal importance, the ex-policeman said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prasanna Ranatunga as the new Public Security Minister after the entire Cabinet resigned in the first week of April following the eruption of public protests over the deepening economic crisis. Ranatunga is also the Chief Government Whip.

The former DIG pointed out that though protests erupted on March 31 and quickly spread to the provinces, the police hadn’t opened fire till April 19th.