Chanuka Ratwatte, son of late Minister Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte and brother of United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Lohan Ratwatte, was embroiled in a clash involving three-wheeler drivers and employees of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) last Thursday (30) night. The clash had broken out opposite the CPC headquarters in Dematagoda on Thursday night at around 10.30 p.m., according to Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) – Petroleum Branch President Samika Asithanja. Asithanja said that the clash broke out after the vehicle – a Mercedes Benz bearing number plate CAB 7373 – in which Ratwatte and four others travelled was involved in an accident with a three-wheeler in front of the CPC headquarters in Dematagoda. Suspicious settlement The two parties had reportedly argued over the matter which soon ended up in a fisticuff. However, at that time, the security officers on duty at CPC had advanced towards where the incident had taken place; Ratwatte along with his friends had allegedly begun to assault everyone who had come to witness. The security officers had then run into the CPC building, but Ratwatte and the others had followed them into the building and continued to assault the security officers. “I was not at the scene, but a witness of the incident said that Ratwatte and the others were indeed very drunk. Meanwhile, the other officers had called the Police and they had taken them to the police station. The security officers were informed to come to Dematagoda Police Station on Friday morning and when they did, the two parties had come to a settlement where Ratwatte and the others had been released on bail,” Asithanja stressed. According to him, the security officers who witnessed the brawl had been recruited by the Ratwattes and, therefore, it was possible that they had come to a mutual settlement. UPFA MPs Lohan Ratwatte and Mahindananda Aluthgamage had also gone to the police station and spoken to the CPC Managing Director. When Asithanja inquired about the security officers, they had said that they came to a settlement because the Minister asked them to, explained Asithanja. Further explaining, he said: “Then I called Minister Kabir Hashim to ask whether he had given any such instruction, but the Minister denied the claim.” Interestingly, Chanuka Ratwatte’s father, late Anuruddha Ratwatte, was a former minister in-charge of the CPC during the Government of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. During this period, the Ratwattes had employed many of their supporters at the CPC. More concerns arise According to the CPC trade unionist, it was only after this incident had taken place that the CPC had found out that its CCTV system was malfunctioning. However, he stated that a separate investigation was set out with regard to the malfunctioning. A senior official at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development told The Sunday Morning that Minister Kabir Hashim had called for a full inquiry on the malfunctioning of the CCTV system. “The Minister holds a biweekly security meeting with CPC officials and this was not reported by the security division at any of the meetings. Therefore, this is a serious concern,” the official said. In a media statement, the JSS alleged that a superintendent of police (SP), who is said to have arrived at the police station on the instructions of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, had prevented the Police from taking further action against the suspects. Nevertheless, the JSS had urged the relevant authorities to take immediate action and to conduct a proper investigation on the incident. False claims or covering up? When The Sunday Morning contacted Dematagoda Police OIC Anil Jayantha over the allegations levelled by the JSS, claiming that the suspects were released due to political pressure, the OIC denied any such interference and said that they had followed proper procedures when police bail was granted to the suspects. According to the OIC, the three-wheeler drivers who were allegedly involved in the incident are currently missing in action and had not lodged any complaint against Chanuka Ratwatte and others. However, the accident had been a very minor one and none of the individuals from either party were injured. Nevertheless, it was reported that the three-wheeler drivers had asked them money and that was the basis of the argument. The two parties eventually reached a settlement. The OIC stressed that the CPC security officers should have informed the Police without getting entangled in the clash at the very beginning. When The Sunday Morning contacted CPC Managing Director Neil Jayasekara to ask whether he was contacted by any politician, requesting his intervention to release the arrested suspects, he refused to comment on the incident. The newspaper then contacted CPC Acting Security Manager Damitha Gunawardena, he also refused to comment on the matter saying that he did not have the authority to comment to the media and requested that the newspaper contact the JSS President Asithanja. Commenting on the incident, UPFA MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said: “I went to the police station because Chanuka is my friend and he was in custody. But I didn’t force the police officers or contact any ministers. I only contacted the CPC Chairman and asked him not to drag the issue as the two parties had already come to a settlement.” Attempts to contact UPFA MP Lohan Ratwatte and Minister Kabir Hashim were futile.