Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) officials will visit prison to record a statement from the former Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Homagama Police Crimes Division, who has been remanded over the death of 29-year-old Ishara Harshakumara in Police custody, former Commissioner of the HRCSL Nimal Punchihewa told The Sunday Morning.
Punchihewa said that three personnel connected to Homagama Police had been summoned to appear before the commission over the death of a suspect in custody, but one, the former Crimes Division OIC, had already been arrested and remanded until 12 November. Arrangements had been made to obtain his statement by sending commission officials directly to the prison, he said.
He added that the station’s Headquarters Inspector had been suspended shortly before the scheduled inquiry. A newly appointed Inspector, who had taken up duties only a day earlier and had no prior knowledge of the matter, appeared in his place. Representatives of the Police Human Rights Division had also appeared before the commission to explain the Police’s actions, he said.
The HRCSL has opened an inquiry of its own initiative into the death of the 29-year-old, who died shortly after his arrest by the Homagama Police, under case reference HRC/SUO/MOTU/13/26.
The Police said that statements had so far been recorded from 17 people – eight civilians and nine Police officers. The Western Province South District Crime Division is leading the investigation on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The case has been handed to that division to ensure an independent inquiry.
Harshakumara, from Kiriwaththuduwa, was a father of two who had been arrested on narcotics-related charges. He died on Sunday (25 October) while in the custody of the Homagama Police.
Western Province Senior Deputy Inspector General Sajeewa Medawatte said that the Police believed he had died of injuries from an assault. Post-mortem and medical examinations had found three fractured ribs, a fractured bone in the neck, and swelling and bleeding in the brain, he said. The Police said that the man had been held in the Crimes Division before being placed in a cell, where the alleged assault took place.
The former Sub-Inspector who served as OIC of the Homagama Police Crimes Division was arrested on Wednesday (28 October). He was produced before the Homagama Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (29 October) and remanded until 12 November for an identification parade.
Three officers, two Sub-Inspectors and a Police Constable, have been suspended. The Headquarters Inspector of the station has also been suspended with immediate effect for failing to exercise proper supervision.
Investigators visited a prison on Wednesday and, under a court order, recorded a statement from another suspect who had been arrested with the deceased on 24 October. The family has raised concerns about that suspect, identified as Madhusanka, alleging that he was also severely beaten and remains in a serious condition in remand custody.
The Police said that the deceased had been admitted to the Homagama Hospital at 1.05 p.m. on 24 October for treatment after a road accident. Hospital records show that he left without authorisation at 5.55 p.m. the same day. Investigators have taken steps to report these findings to the court.
The Police said that he had been arrested by the Homagama Police on 25 October and had died after being hospitalised. A comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of his death is continuing.
Separately, three officers at the Kobeigane Police Station, two Police Sergeants and a Constable, have been suspended after the death of a 41-year-old suspect in custody.
The man was suspected of involvement in burglaries and thefts in the area. Villagers apprehended him in the Beddegama area of Kobeigane, tied him to a tree, and assaulted him before handing him over to the Police. He was held at the station for two days without immediate medical treatment and was admitted to the Nikaweratiya Hospital on Tuesday (27 October) night, where he died.
Police Media Spokesperson ASP F.U. Wootler confirmed the suspensions over alleged dereliction of duty and negligence. Five residents have been arrested in connection with the assault.
HRCSL data show that 49 people died in Police custody and 30 more died in Police confrontations between January 2020 and May 2025, a total of 79 deaths over the period.
After a preliminary inquiry into the Homagama Police custodial death, the HRCSL said that the officers involved appeared to have violated established guidelines on the welfare and safety of suspects in custody. It has summoned the Homagama OIC, the Crimes Division OIC, and the arresting officers to give evidence.
The commission has also asked the Judicial Medical Officer for the full post-mortem report to establish the exact cause of death. An open verdict was returned at the initial autopsy at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) condemned the death and called on the IGP to ensure an impartial, transparent, and comprehensive investigation without institutional interference.