Dullas severely reprimands councilors who captured Herman
- Tuesday, 08 October 2013
Minister Dullas Alahapperuma severely reprimanded and threatened Matara Municipal Council’s UPFA councilors Raj Chandralal, Chaminda Silva and K.Y. Ruwan for having overpowered Malinga Herman Gunaratne and handed him over to the police during the clash between UNP activists at Dodampola in Matara last Saturday (5), Matara MC sources say.
At the time of the clash, all these councilors had been waiting inside the municipal council premises near the main entrance, watching the protestors. When a shot fired by Herman Gunaratne hit an overseer of the municipal health division, Dilum Prasanna, the councilors had surrounded the shooter, overpowered him and handed him over to police.
Had Herman Gunaratne not been captured then and there, the government had made allowances for him to flee the scene under police protection. Unfortunately for him, the three councilors had captured him in front of a huge crowd of onlookers and handed him over to police.
As the clash was taking place, minister Dullas Alahapperuma had been in the company of Matara mayor S. Handunge inside the municipal council premises, according to unconfirmed reports. Soon after the incident, the minister was ordered by the top to get police to rescue Herman Gunaratne and send him to Colombo. Minister Alahapperuma’s plan could not be implemented as his disciples had handed Herman Gunaratne over to police by then.
The minister has said, “You all have botched the job. Had Herman Aiya been brought inside the municipal council premises, the matter could have been sorted out. We should protect persons like him. You have botched the job. Now, it is me who will have to face the music from the bosses.”
Very much agitated by the arrest of Malinga Herman Gunaratne, top persons in the government have ordered the IGP to immediately find out as to whether the police had aided supporters of Mangala Samaraweera during the clash. Accordingly, DIG (administration) Gamini Nawaratne went to Matara yesterday (7) and launched an investigation.
SSP Deshabandu Tennakoon had personally asked the Defence Secretary as to whether MP Mangala Samaraweera should be arrested and remanded in connection with the incident. Coming back to him after speaking to the president, the Defence Secretary has answered in the negative, saying it would be bad to arrest an opposition MP minus charges with just weeks go for the CHOGM. However, the Defence Secretary has told a leading newspaper to publish an article to the effect that police had been biased towards Mangala Samaraweera during the incident.
Soon after the clash, southern provincial councilor Maithree Gunaratne told the media that he would accept responsibility for the entire episode and resign from his position. But, by yesterday, he had changed his position and said that he would resign if it was proved that his father, Herman Malinga Gunaratne, is a presidential advisor as claimed.
Commenting on this change of stance of Maithree Gunaratne, a young MP of the UNP told us, “After saying that he would resign if it was proved that Herman Malinga Gunaratne is a presidential advisor, Maithree Gunaratne will next ask to prove that Herman Malinga Gunaratne is his father. Maithree Gunaratne such a person engaged in petty, lowly politics,” said the young MP.
