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Arundika’s son given bail over Kelaniya hostel incident

08 Feb 2022

  • Total of nine suspects granted bail
BY Buddhika Samaraweera  A total of nine suspects who were arrested in connection with the attack on a group of students at the University of Kelaniya Faculty of Medicine in Ragama on the morning of 2 February, including Coconut, Kithul, and Palmyrah Cultivation Promotion and Related Industrial Product Manufacturing and Export Diversification State Minister Arundika Fernando’s son Avinda Randula Jehan Fernando, were granted bail yesterday (7). The nine suspects including Jehan Fernando were ordered to be enlarged on bail after being produced before the Wattala Magistrate. A total of four medical students, who were injured in the attack by a group of persons in the said faculty’s male hostel at around 3 a.m. on 2 February, had been admitted to the Colombo North Teaching Hospital in Ragama. Speaking to the media, the students last week stated that a group of persons who had arrived in two cars had broken into the hostel and assaulted them. One of the said group of persons, and a car belonging to them, had been seized by the students and the suspect and the car were handed over to the Ragama Police on the same day. The car was said to be one belonging to the Coconut Development Authority and an official identity card of a member of State Minister Fernando’s personal staff had also been found in it. Following the incident, Jehan Fernando, the 23-year-old suspect, had surrendered to the Ragama Police through a lawyer on the night of 2 February and was subsequently arrested by the Police. The Police had also seized a luxury car in which they had come to carry out the attack. He and five other suspects were produced before the court on 3 February, after which they were remanded till yesterday. Another three suspects, who were injured during the attack, had been admitted to the District General Hospital in Negombo and later arrested by the Police. All nine suspects were accordingly produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Meanwhile, following his son being remanded in connection with the said incident, State Minister Fernando resigned from the said post until the investigation into the matter is concluded. Speaking to the media last week, he said: “I met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and I informed him that I would resign from the post of the State Minister in order to pave the way for an independent investigation into this incident.”


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