Police Have Become An Underworld Gang That Fulfills Needs Of A Few - IHR

Sri Lanka Police has become a clique of underworld which fulfills the needs of a few individuals states Intellectuals for Human Rights (IHR) issuing a press release vehemently condemning the brutal killing of a civilian in the presence of his children by a gang in police uniform at Trincomalee. Reggy Bandula, a businessman at Mahamayapura, Trincomalee was shot dead by the Trincomalee police.

The press release in full:

Assassination of Reggy Bandula, a civilian in Mahamayapura, Trincomalee by

the Trincomalee police demonstrates the reckless and pathetic state that

the Sri Lanka police has declined today.

Intellectuals for human Rights (IHR) vehemently condemn the brutal killing

of a civilian in the presence of his children by a gang in police uniform

who took the law on to themselves and urges the authorities to ensure a

state mechanism that is responsible and respect the supremacy of the law.

This is not the first incident in this nature happened in the recent past

and we witnessed the murders committed by the police in Angulana, Kolpitty

and  Inginiyagala and therefore this is not an isolated incident. The

Criminal Code has clearly given the procedure the police should follow in

arresting a suspect. However, this incidents clearly shows that the police

is performing the role of the complaint, the law enforcement authority,

judiciary as well as the hang man. As a result the police has become an

underworld gang acting on the instructions of few individuals.

IHR stresses that this situation cannot be simply consider as an act of few

police officers. This is the inevitable situation where the police service

could decline as a result of political interference and use the police to

carry out unlawful activities by the ruling party politicians. In a country

where there is a police of this nature it is not a surprise that civilians

are ending up in tragedies of this nature.

The human rights record of the country is deteriorating continuously and

this kind of incidents may intensify pressure from international community.

The country has already lost the economic benefits such as GSP+ and human

rights situation of the country is under strong scrutiny of the United

Nations. Finally the innocent people of the country may have to pay the

price for the consequence of these international pressure.