Alone and scared
As Embilipitiya limps back to normal, the pregnant
wife of Sumith Prasanna fears for her life:
by Dhaneshi Yatawara
The death of Sumith Prasanna, a father of one from Embilipitiya, and
the questionable conduct of the police, which generated widespread
public protest and intense public scrutiny, are now under investigation,
with the National Police Commission (NPC) and the Human Rights
Commission (HRC) taking lead roles. Last Thursday, the NPC summoned the
Inspector General of Police, N. K. Ilangakoon, for questioning, while
the HRC summoned several policemen who are under suspicion, to appear
for questioning on Friday. While the IGP dutifully turned up, several
police officers ignored the HRC summons, casting further suspicion about
their behaviour.
The no-show notwithstanding, Embilipitiya town appears to have limped
back to normal, with Police limiting its presence to a minimal few.
However, meetings are on-going among the New Assistant Superintendent of
Police, the HQI, community leaders and civil society member.
When the Sunday Observer visited the township last week, nearly three
weeks after the tragedy, moving around and talking to people affected by
the death of Sumith Prasanna still proved to be a difficult task.
Sashika Nishamani, wife of the victim was emotional and said she felt
insecure. “How am I going to continue my life with my little child and
what will happen to the baby I’m expecting?” she querried. Sashika fears
for the future of her children and fears for her life more than
anything, as she is the sole witness to the tragedy. It was only she who
saw a Policeman allegedly push her husband from the upper floor of the
apartment where they had gathered for a party.
The apartment she is living in, is owned by her husband’s elder
brother, who is working abroad. The apartment is on the second floor.
Her brother-in-law built the apartment with assistance from her husband.
Sumith was engaged in business with his elder brother. The building has
several apartments which were rented out as shops or business premises.
Sumith’s family hardly spoke of the tragedy as it was too much of a
shock for them to bear.
Scene of the tragedy
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Sashika Nishamani, at the
seventh day alms giving.
Pix – Cyril Jayaweera and Susantha Wijegunasekara |
Across the street from Shashika’s apartment, is the scene of the
tragedy. A party organised by Padmasiri Mendis and Shirani Warnasuriya
was held in the building belonging to the Mendis’. Padmasiri and Shirani,
the husband and wife duo were trying to come to terms with the tragedy.
They said the screams of the victim still haunted the house and the
blood stains on the walls and the floor have not yet been washed off.
“It is too early early to clean the place,” they said.
Horrific night
Recalling the incident on that horrific night, Mendis still mourns
Sumith’s death, who said he knew Sumith from the time he was an infant.
“His father was my friend and we are neighbours for three decades. I
know all the children in the family from the day they were born.”
Mendis said he did not witness the tragedy, as he was protecting his
daughter, wife and the other women relatives inside a room and was
keeping guard over them, when the fracas broke out between the revellers
and the police.
The police had entered the premises because neighbours had complained
that there was too much noise being made by the revellers at the party.
He alleged the Policemen asked for arrack and they kept asking for more.
“On the first occasion, when the Police wanted several bottles of
arrack, I went to the store downstairs and got a few bottles and gave
them, expecting them to go away,” he said.
[‘View incident in correct perspective’]
Janatha Hela Urumaya leader Omalpe Sobitha Thera said the incident
should never have taken place. “First I must refute media reports, which
stated that people hooted and insulted me at the protest against
Sumith’s killing. Many of them were the worse for liquor. I request the
public to view the incident in the correct perspective and discuss what
really took place,” he said.
“People were demanding a transparent, just investigation. I promised
to forward a request to the Police hierarchy without delay,” Sobitha
thera said.
The Thera said during the time of ASP D.W.C. Dharmaratne, who is now
facing allegations regarding the present incident, many steps were taken
to correct social evils.
However, investigations should continue in a fair manner and if the
Police are found guilty, they must be taken to task. The Thera said if
people were disciplined such tragedies could have been avoided.
Police trying to justify incident - Lawyer
Lawyer for the victim’s family, Attorney-at-Law Vijitha Punchihewa
said
the family of Sumith Prasanna has written to the Attorney General
(AG) requesting his Department to take over investigations.
Punchihewa said, “A lawyer cannot collect witnesses and evidence in a
case. The Police assigned Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera to the task
and he is a lawyer. This is not right,”
Speaking at a press conference held in Colombo recently, Punchihewa
said the Police Department was attempting to justify the incident and
cover the officers who are responsible for the tragedy. Punchihewa
alleged that such statements have made the situation in Embilipitiya
worse.
Concerned about safety - Businessman
J.P. Shantha Kumara – Businessman, Head of the Janilro Lanka
Foundation (a charity organisation) said “Dragging on the same issue
without finding a solution, will be a threat to a peaceful society.”
He said he was concerned as a businessman about the safety of the
people, so that he could carry out his trade peacefully. “A secure
environment is important to us,” Shantha Kumara said.
“Whatever the outcome to this tragedy is, it must be fair and should
be for the benefit of society,” he said. |
A wholesale shop on the ground floor sold cigarettes and alcohol.
Mendis purchased the arrack from the shop and gave them to the police.
“When the Police wanted more arrack, I refused, then they began to
attack me. My two older sons and nephews saw the police beating me and
dragged me into our house,” he said.
Forced entry
Then, a second team of policemen made a forced entry and this time
around, the team was led by the former ASP and HQI of the Embilipitiya
police.
It was the second group that went on the rampage and began destroying
property and beating up visitors who had turned up for the party.
“In the melee, I locked the women in a room and kept guard over them,
and so I did not see what happened” he said.
On a recent visit to Embilipitiya, officials of the Human Rights
Commission spoke to witnesses and family members of Sumith, Mendis said,
explaining that whatever information he had about the incident was given
to them. Gayashan, Mendis’s eldest son who runs a rent-a-car service in
the same building said there were rumours about a cover-up of the
investigation.
“What has happened has happened. We can repair the damage to our
house but Sumith ayya is lost forever. Justice must be meted out to the
victims,” he said.
Shielding
Speaking at a press conference in Colombo, the lawyer representing
the family of the victim, Vijith Punchihewa attorney-at-law said the
Police Department was attempting to justify the incident and were
shielding the officers responsible for the attack. Punchihewa said this
information has caused a tense situation in Embilipitiya.
The climax to the incident was at the centre of the Embilipitiya town
when Sumith’s body was being taken in a funeral procession.
People protested against the Police and their conduct, all the shops
in the town were closed and they demanded a speedy investigation into
the tragedy.
(Reporting assistance from Lake House Embilipitiya regional
correspondent Cyril Jayaweera)
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