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Peace-keepers or rabble-rousers?

06 Apr 2022

The recent incident where several Police officers controlling a protest on 5 April near the Parliament building confronted several motorbikers clad in military attire and bearing rifles – who were unidentified at the time, but were later confirmed as being combat riders of the Army Special Forces – went viral on social media, prompting widespread discussion about the group. It was only when this discussion made its way to Parliament that Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando revealed that the said group was, in fact, part of the armed forces. According to his explanation, the issue had arisen because the number plates of the motorbikes they had been riding were attached to the sides of these vehicles, as opposed to the front or back. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne had subsequently apologised for the Police officers’ involvement in chasing away the said individuals. This situation is problematic due to various reasons. First of all, while protecting or concealing one’s identity is extremely important in certain military activities, allowing unidentified, heavily armed individuals to roam around Parliament is obviously sure to raise concerns about public security, especially among the Police. Whether or not a protest was taking place, any Police officer would, at the very least, need confirmation from a superior officer that these individuals were authorised to be in the area before allowing them to proceed, even if they were deployed by the Army. However, and more importantly, during a largely peaceful series of protests being staged by the people, dispatching such a heavily armed group that cannot be easily identified – even by Police officers, who are ostensibly on the same side – to such a location was not a wise move, considering the rising tensions on both sides. Controlling these tensions, not escalating them, is the need of the hour, otherwise the Government risks citing civil unrest on an unimaginable scale. With social media playing such a heavy role in the ongoing protests, a single untoward threat from either side would be enough to tip the scales from a peaceful movement into inhumane bloodshed. Another issue with this incident is that Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva had told IGP WIckramaratne to conduct an investigation and take action against the officers who confronted the armed group. This begs the question – should the Police be forced to take action against those of its own who acted in the interest of public safety? Although Military Spokesman Brig. Nilantha Premaratne yesterday (6) told The Morning that the said soldiers were only passing the area on an assigned mission before being disrupted by the Police, it must be remembered that they were not in a war zone, and that the protests had not reached a level of instability that could not be managed by the Police. Therefore, as the main law enforcement authority maintaining law and order, the Police officers confronting the unidentified (at the time) and armed group was an acceptable move, especially when the presence of that group was causing unrest among the protesters. The only factor that justifies an investigation against the Police officers was the fact that the Police officers, including an officer who is said to be an Assistant Superintendent of Police, assaulted one of the Army soldiers. If the Police officers were not intended to stop, question, or intervene in the affairs of the said group, the Police should have been informed of said group’s activities, or at the very least, the need for their presence. Such communication could have averted the tense situation that the group caused, and would have eased the jobs of both the Army personnel and the Police. The situation could have still been managed if the Army personnel had co-operated when the Police questioned them, at least by providing some kind of identification or explanation. However, videos of the incident showed them in a rush to flee the scene. It must be remembered that Sri Lanka does not have a squeaky clean past when it comes to the army dealing with civilians, which, as a matter of fact, is one of the concerns being raised by protestors these days. Unidentifiable, armed groups moving about within residential areas is thus a major cause for concern. What is more, incidents such as these can easily trigger the people’s fear of militarisation in the country, and also fears of unwarranted interventions by the Government. Society is divided over this incident, and opposing opinions regarding the incident were expressed in the Parliament as well. While some blame the Army personnel, others blame the Police officers. However, both parties were doing their duty; this is an issue of the lack of co-operation and co-ordination, and a lesson in how such situations can worsen the prevailing situation.  The Government has a responsibility to ensure that the presence of armed groups, especially the military, is limited to where it is necessary, and is in a manner that does not cause any tensions among the people – especially considering that the world now has careful eyes trained on this island that has proven no stranger to bloodshed.


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