IGP calls for report on Embilipitya incident

by Rukshana Rizwie

The National Police Commission and the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission have launched an investigation into the allegations that police brutality may have contributed to the untimely death of 29-year-old Sumith Prasanna who jumped off a three-storey building in Embilipitiya during a clash between residents and police in the area.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Police Spokesperson ASP Gunasekera said that the 21 police officers including the Headquarters Inspector were transferred temporarily to the Seethawaka and Kegalle Police Divisions with immediate effect, until investigations over the matter were over.

The investigation is currently being held under the supervision of the Ratnapura Superintendent of Police.

When inquired of allegations of police brutality, he said the police were dispatched to the scene after receiving complaints from those in the neighborhoods of loud noise. He said that while the police officers had tried to mediate a clash between residents and the police had erupted.

The 29-year-old father of one according to reports had jumped off a three-storey building. He was admitted to the Ratnapura Base Hospital after which he was transferred to the Colombo National Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

Relatives and residents in the area staged a demonstration calling for the Police to be held accountable to his death. The protestors who gathered in large numbers in the town closed shops and hoisted black flags in defiance. A special Task Force was deployed to contain the crowds. They are to remain in the area until the conclusion of the final rites of the deceased.The magistrate told court on Friday that he had died due to severe internal bleeding sustained during the fall.

The Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into the death of Sumith Prasanna. A report on the matter has been requested by the IGP.