• Police claims deceased was mentally ill 

The prisoners’ rights group, the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) has requested the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) to conduct a swift investigation into the death of Muthuwadige Sathsara Nimesh whom the CPRP claimed had died after being tortured at the Welikada Police Station, and to penalise the culprits.

Submitting a letter to the Police Headquarters yesterday (3), the CPRP’s Executive Director, attorney Senaka Perera pointed out that Nimesh had been arrested on Tuesday (1) by officers of the Welikada Police Station, and alleged that he was tortured while in custody after which he died. According to the CPRP, the deceased’s mother had on Wednesday (2) visited the Welikada Police Station to check on her son, when she had learnt that her son’s clothes had been removed. “When she inquired about it, she had been informed that the deceased had attempted to commit suicide. Our organisation has expressed opposition with regard to torturing suspects in Police custody and killing them, and have informed the relevant parties including the IGP to stop such acts forthwith,” the letter read, pointing out instances where individuals were subjected to torture and died in the Welikada Police Station. “Steps must be taken to stop these forms of illegal acts committed by the Police. The failure to do that will inevitably result in the collapse of the rule of law and of individuals’ rights,” the CPRP further said.

Meanwhile, the Police, in a communiqué released yesterday, said that the officers attached to the Welikada Police Station had responded to information received that an individual had broken into a house in the Nawala area on Tuesday (1). The statement read: “When Police officers questioned the individual that entered the house, it was observed that he was suffering from some mental disability, and because of that, he was referred to the Police Station for his safety. At the Police Station, this person has acted in an unruly manner that was difficult for the Police officers to handle – the suspect had hit his body against the cell at the Police Station. Based on that, the officers had admitted him into the Mulleriyawa National Mental Health Institute hospital after a lot of effort.” The statement added that the suspect, while he was receiving treatment at the hospital, had died, and that an autopsy is scheduled to be conducted. The suspect is a 26-year-old person. Investigations have been commenced by the Nugegoda Division Crime Investigation Unit into the incident, according to the statement.