(Lanka-e-News -01.June.2011, 11.00PM) The Govt. made an official announcement a little while ago that 21 year old youth Roshana Chanaka had died . He was a victim of the shooting by the police at Katunayake on the direct orders issued by defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse, it is learnt.Might we recall that we published a news item in our website yesterday that a youth had died , and the Govt. is suppressing this by barring the public from seeing him and forcing the Hospital authorities not to reveal it while fixing machines and equipments to the body to make it look that the victim of the Katunayake police shooting has not died . This youth who sustained injuries following the shooting by the police on the 30th was receiving treatment at the Ragama Hospital.
Vasantha Samarasinghe , the secretary of the inter Company workers union speaking to Lanka e news said , the police firing had injured a testicle of this lad ; as a result , one of his legs had to be amputated. Following the surgery , Chanaka died . This Govt. which killed him in cold blood most cruelly took revenge on his relatives by not informing them of his death.
Those behind this wicked murder should be revealed, and the person who gave orders for the shooting shall be exposed, Samarasinghe asserted.
The murdered Roshan Chanaka is from Galoluwa, Minuwangoda and a worker in the S. S. Steel enterprise in the free trade zone. He had started work at this Institution 4 months ago.
Meanwhile the Opposition had stated that the President has appointed a retired judge as a one man commission to inquire into the Katunayake shooting which will serve no purpose to anyone , and therefore a request is to be made to the Speaker to appoint a Parliamentary select Committee to inquire into the true facts regarding this killing , the opposition pointed out , and that they are getting ready to make this request. They also added that this heinous crime committed has been by the defense Secretary and the police , and therefore enlisting the police to inquire into this is ridiculous and meaningless.
According to the police Commands Act, the maximum power the police has is to hit an individual below his knee with a baton , or shoot below the knee. That action can only be resorted to by the police in self defense and only in retaliation to an initial attack by the wrongdoer . In the circumstances , a human rights legal expert speaking to Lanka e news said , this action of the police clearly constitutes a diabolic murder . Hence deterrent and stern action should be taken against those behind this and the person who gave orders to kill human life should be arrested and the laws implemented duly.
