Police spokesman spills the beans

by Kurulu Kariyakarawana

Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said that the political hierarchy of the previous regime tried to distort the truth on many occasions by using him to gain mileage over Opposition politicians.

He said certain top officials of the former government tried to influence him to provide false information to the public to distort some ongoing crucial police investigations involving State and Opposition parliamentarians.

SSP Rohana told the Sunday Observer that some cases would have permanently sealed the fate of the common Opposition candidate, if false information relating to the ongoing police investigations were given to the public in the run up to the Presidential election.

Among those who tried to prevent him from performing his duties were a few leading Ministry Secretaries including those who had already served in the police and the military.

The Spokesman said that this made his job very stressful as he strove to give the correct information and disseminate the truth among the public in respect of the police and also as an Attorney-at law.

He said he was pressurised by certain political higher-ups to mislead the public by giving wrong facts about certain inquiries that would be advantageous to the government engaged in a major campaign against the common Opposition. SSP Rohana commended Police Chief IGP N K Illangakoon for permitting him to perform his duties as the Police media Spokesman unhindered throughout his tenure of two and a half years.