POLICE EXCESSES

This year Sri Lanka Police is celebrating the 157th anniversary of its establishment as one of the oldest public institutions of Sri Lanka and, as such, it has been the leading institution for upholding law and order. Whilst the police had done well in various areas and especially to solve crimes and stop illegal activities like growing of marijuana (ganja), illegal distilling of liquor (kasippu), there have instances when some of them have gone a little beyond the law and spoilt the image of the police.

It is very seldom that the ill-treatment of persons apprehended by the Police comes into the limelight. The most recent of these was that of the domestic aide who had been very badly beaten by the police at the Welikada Police Station and then taken to hospital indicating that she had met with a road accident. However, the culprits, a sub-Inspector, police sergeant and a constable, who were responsible for this heinous crime were taken into custody and remanded.

Those of our vintage will remember the saga of how Dodampe Mudalali “fell” from a window of the fourth floor. Everybody knew what happened. But the whole business was swept under the carpet.In the old days, there were several cases of the police torturing those in custody to get information out from them. The methods were well known to people outside the police too.

Recently during a protest demonstration which was telecast, we saw how an Officer-in-charge pushed a woman police constable by her neck towards a police jeep along with the protestors. There have been several women police subordinates who have been the victims of sexually harassment by their superiors.

During the beeshana period the police were instrumental in killing almost all the JVP undergraduates who were manning the universities. In the University of Colombo itself all or almost all the leading members of the Action Committee were eliminated except one person who was, however, apprehended while trying to leave the country. He studied for his final examination while in the Boossa camp, graduated and became an attorney-at-law. The police in some areas took advantage of the situation and got rid of all troublemakers in their areas.

It is also well-known that some members of the underworld, who were murderers or drug dealers when apprehended by the police, would be supposedly taken to get them to show places where the weapons were hidden and then shot stating they tried to throw a hand grenade or tried to escape. This was the same story concocted in the case of Rohana Wijeweera too. Some may feel that it was a good thing to get rid of them as otherwise they would continue the spree of killing, but then it is not the way to punish such persons.

When will Sri Lanka Police be an institution for people to look up to as it was during the times of Messrs. Osmund de Silva, Eleric Abeygunawardena and Cyril Herath? The way things are going now, we might not see such a day till doomsday!

HM NISSANKA WARAKAULLE