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SLPP MP slams appointment of new Padukka Police OIC 

19 Sep 2021

  • Jagath Kumara claims Weerasekara awarded post to Lokuge’s associate
  • Alleges violation of process; quits Padukka Regional Committee in protest 
By Buddhika Samaraweera  Charging that Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera’s appointment of a new Officer-in-Charge (OIC) to the Padukka Police Station was politically motivated, and that this new OIC is a close associate of Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Colombo District MP Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi has resigned from his post as Padukka Regional Co-ordinating Committee Chairman in protest.  Sumithraarachchi informed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of his decision to resign from the Committee in a letter dated 17 September 2021. In the letter, he had claimed that Weerasekera holds a personal grudge against him for criticising an incident where the police had forcibly taken away participants of a recent protest in Colombo and directed them to quarantine.  “The OIC of the Padukka Police Station has been transferred and replaced by a close associate of Lokuge’s. This transfer has been made by Weerasekara with the intervention of Lokuge, and at the request of the Padukka SLPP electoral organiser,” he claimed, when contacted by The Morning for comment.  Sumithraarachchi further said that at one point during a meeting of the said Committee which he had recently attended, a tense situation had broken out where eggs were thrown at his vehicle by some individuals. However, he said that the then-Padukka police OIC and other police officers had intervened and resolved the situation independently. However, he charged that he could not believe that the police would act independently in such an incident again, since the newly-appointed OIC would, most probably, act on various political motives. “I go everywhere in the Padukka area to monitor development activities. In this situation, I cannot hope that the police will do justice to me if those involved in the previous incident do something again.” Speaking further, Sumithraarachchi said that several parties have requested him to remain in his post as Committee Chairman. Thus, he stated, he is ready to withdraw his resignation if the authorities take action to appoint an independent police official as the Padukka police OIC according to the due process. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters recently, Lokuge said that he was concerned over Sumithraarachchi’s allegations. “There was no conflict between him and me. I would like to tell him that I have been elected as an MP at every election since 1983,” he stated, adding that he hopes to respond to the allegations made by Sumithraarachchi on a stage with the participation of Weerasekera as well. “Then Weerasekera can present facts with the required documents as to who has requested the transfer of a police officer and who has not. All I have to say is that I feel sorry for Sumithraarachchi. I have seen a lot of people like that,” he said. Weerasekera was unavailable for comment on the matter.


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