The Hon. Ananda Wijepala
Hon. Ananda Wijepala responded to allegations regarding the Pelawatta–Isurupaya protest incident, stating that although an intelligence officer was initially questioned and released, Police never reported to court that Army intelligence was involved. He said the actual suspect, a Development Officer from Matara, was later arrested and that investigations are complete with legal action underway. He further asserted that since the NPP took office, Police have been enabled to act independently and actively, rejecting claims that policing or national security has weakened.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Alright, I will do that.
¶ 02 Hon. Madduma Bandara raised the Pelawatta–Isurupaya protest incident where two Police officers were slashed, one critically injured. Police conducted inquiries and detained an intelligence officer for questioning. Do not mislead the House: at no time did Police report to court that a military intelligence officer committed the offence. Police continued investigations and arrested the relevant suspect: a Development Officer from Matara, arrested weeks later. At no time did Police report any involvement of Army intelligence to court; there was no such link. An intelligence officer who was among persons initially detained on suspicion had a statement recorded and was released. That was all. Investigations are complete and legal action is being taken.
¶ 03 We have created the environment for the Police to perform actively and independently within three months since NPP took office on 21 November. Anyone claiming that Police activities have weakened or national security is threatened is utterly false. While incidents occur, we promptly investigate to ensure the safety of all citizens and national security, Mr. Chairman.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Friday, 28 February 2025 ·No. 1741927369029372 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/26269
Cite as: The Hon. Ananda Wijepala. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 28 February 2025. No. 1741927369029372. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/26269