In response to the Badalgama Faith healing that resulted in the death of a 10 year old boy, Police Spokesperson (Attorney at Law) SSP Nihal Thalduwa says that people should have the knowledge and understanding to choose what is right and wrong, whatever religion they follow. He made this statement while speaking to The Morning today (16). "In Sri Lanka, people are given the freedom to follow any religion they choose. But, people should also have the knowledge and understanding to choose what is right and wrong even within a religion. There are many people who claim to heal the sick through faith and religious belief, if this is done to an adult of understanding and done with free will, then it is up to them. Whereas, in this particular incident, the child lost his life due to negligence. The mother, father and grandmother had resorted to faith healing and even after the child was deceased they kept quiet. This is where they went wrong," said Thalduwa. Thalduwa further explained of how some religions perform 'sacrifices' and no one can say anything as it is done willingly. "In some religions, people get themselves pierced with nails, hooks and spears. This is not stopped because it is the person who does it out of free will. Whereas, sometime ago, some animal rights activists wanted to stop animal sacrifices which are practiced in some religions still. But, because it is an age-old tradition and religion, no one can say anything," he said. In regards to the Badalgama incident, Thalduwa explained that the family were staunch believers of their faith and had hopes of 'resurrecting' the child. "The family claimed to have faith that the child would arise once again and that is why they had kept the death a secret for 3 days. The investigation is still ongoing and truth be told, this case will not be easy as it will be tricky. A lot of factors need to be considered when handling this case as there is a fine line between the faith and law in this matter," he concluded. The death of a 10 year old in the Badalgama area has resulted in many talking about various practices promoting faith healings. Following his death of the child, the family members had prayed for another three days, hoping for a potential wakening before the police found them. The neighbours had filed a complaint with the police after suspecting the stench emanated from the house. The Police had arrested the mother, father and the grandmother of the deceased child over the incident. The magistrate meanwhile ordered the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) who conducted the autopsy to direct the mother to a psychiatrist and submit the medical reports to the court by the 18th of February.