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IGP requested to ensure Podi Lassi’s protection

07 Dec 2021

BY Pamodi Waravita The Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) yesterday (7) demanded that Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne provides a guarantee that the life of Janith Madushanka alias Podi Lassi not be harmed while in police custody. “We have seen a number of deaths in police custody in this year alone. Various reasons were given for these deaths – either excuses were given saying that underworld figures had shot at those in custody or that those in custody had tried to set off explosives. Podi Lassi is the next one we are worried about. His detention order (DO) at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) will end on 16 December. We suspect that he will be taken to another unit on the orders of the Defence Ministry and that he would suffer the same fate as people like Samarasinghe Arachchige Madush Lakshitha alias Makandure Madush and Dharmakeerthi Tharaka Perera Wijesekera alias Kosgoda Tharaka. Podi Lassi’s life is in the hands of the IGP as he is in police custody. Give us this guarantee that no harm will befall him,” said CPRP Secretary Sudesh Nandimal Silva at a press conference held yesterday (7). Silva claimed that certain police officers also attempt to reach higher positions in the police force through these deaths. “Governments will come and go. But one day the truth of such incidents will be revealed,” claimed Silva. Meanwhile, Madushanka’s Attorney-At-Law Kanishka Samaranayake, speaking at the same press conference, claimed that the detention order under which Madushanka is currently held is also illegal. “There is a worrying trend of deaths in custody. Sri Lankans have a right to not get shot by the Police. They have the right to life and no police officer has the right to snatch that life away to fulfil their own needs. Don’t do anything to illegally take away Podi Lassi’s life,” said Samaranayake. The CPRP, along with Madushanka’s mother, wrote to United Nations (UN) Sri Lanka Resident Co-ordinator Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, last week, about these alleged threats to Madushanka’s life. On 25 November 2021, Hewa Lunuwilage Lasantha alias Tinker Lasantha, according to the Police, died in a shootout which involved the Police when he was taken to recover hidden weapons. This occurred following his arrest in Kalutara when Lasantha had allegedly attempted to open fire at the Police, following which the crossfire had ensued. In a statement issued the following day, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said that Lasantha’s Attorney had informed the BASL about a threat to Lasantha’s life on the evening of 25 November, after which the BASL had informed IGP Wickramaratne, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), and the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA). On 11 May 2021, underworld figure Mabulage Dineth Melan Mabula alias Urujuwa, died in a shootout while in police custody. Two days later, on 13 May 2021, Kosgoda Tharaka also died in a shootout while in police custody. On both these occasions, the Police Media Spokesman at the time, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ajith Rohana, told the media that incidents that had occurred while the suspects had been taken for special police operations had led to their deaths. In a similar incident in October last year, underworld figure Makandure Madush was killed while in police custody. The Police at the time claimed that the victim was killed in crossfire between the Police and suspected gang members, as the latter group had attempted to release him from police custody.

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