Questions over probe into kneeling of policemen

THURSDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2013 

While special police investigations into the recent incident at the Kattankudy Police station have concluded and a report to IGP N.K Ilangakone was due soon, questions have been raised within the Police Department over allegations made against Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara.

Police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana told Daily Mirror Online that statements from 42 officers have been recorded and the report would be submitted shortly for the IGP’s perusal.

Earlier Eastern Province Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara was alleged to have made Police personnel kneel after a sergeant attached to the Traffic Division of the Kattankudy Police was nabbed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2000.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Chairman Justice Priyantha  Perera also said the commission was currently investigating the matter.
The other members in Commission are Ms. Jezima Ismail, Dr. Prathiba Mahanama, T. E. Anandarajah and Dr. Bernard de Silva.

The former Police Narcotics Bureau head was instrumental several years ago in preparing a report which contained evidence of a former IGP allegedly attending a birthday party of a Drug kingpin’s daughter at a Star Class hotel in Colombo. The evidence led to the premature resignation of this Police Chief, sources said.

Earlier, media reports said that over a 100 Police officers attached to the Kattankudy Police station were made to kneel down on Saturday September 7.
The allegations were immediately denied by the Police, who said that the Senior DIG had warned the personnel present against soliciting of bribes during a stern lecture.

The Daily Mirror learns that after the incident the Senior DIG had reportedly held a conference, in which all Police officers except station OICs were summoned to Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa.Snr. DIG Jayasundara had reportedly addressed the conference simultaneously through skype and warned Police officers to desist from corrupt activity.

The rapid fire Police action against the Snr. DIG was also questioned after the Police are yet to take any action against the Police top brass in charge of the Sabaragamuwa divison. (Hafeel Farisz and Jehan Gunasekara)

Don’t delay anti-tobacco gazette: Mahanayakes

THURSDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2013

The four Mahanayake Theras of the Tri-Nikayas have come together to push for the government and other concerned parties to have the gazette advocating tobacco companies to place anti-tobacco warnings over 80 per cent of cigarette packets, issued without further delay.

The Theras pointed out that the multi-nationals had resorted to various strategies to delay the process leading to the release of the gazette.

“There’s an urgent need to implement the tobacco control legislation by getting the gazette on the pictorial warning passed immediately,” the Malwatte Chapter Mahanayake, the Most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera said in the statement.

The Asgiriya Chapter Mahanayake Thera, the Most Venerable Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha said:  “The accelerated development projects launched by the President would only become meaningful if the citizens in the country remained healthy. As such it is imperative that the government urged the companies to display the required pictorial warnings immediately.”

The Most Venerable Napana Pemasiri Thera, Mahanayake of the Ramanna Nikaya warned that the companies had already resorted to dilatory tactics so as to dodge the new warning; as such the government and relevant authorities should act promptly to issue the relevant gazette.

The Aggamahapanditha, Most Venerable Dr. Davuldena Gnanissara Thera, Mahanayake of the Amarapura Nikaya reiterated that though the end of war had put an end to massacres, the mass deaths due to tobacco was a continuous legacy.

“To save our future generation from the tobacco trap it is mandatory that the authorities quickly put into effect the new pictorial warning through a gazette,” the Venerable Thera said