Sri Lanka government says an investigation headed by the Special Investigation Unit of police and an additional secretary will be held to look into the mistakes made by police and police officers in suppressing communal attacks in certain areas of the Kandy district earlier this month.
Minister of Law and Order Ranjith Madduma Bandara made this comment while speaking at a media briefing on cabinet decisions on Wednesday (March 21) in Colombo in response to a question raised by the BBC Sinhala Service on the allegations against the police in connection with the Kandy clashes.
“Although the police officers have been accused of this, a large number of police officers have worked well (to control the situation) and we are looking into whether there were other problems,” the Minister said.
CCTV video footage showing the Special Task Force (STF) idly watching while the houses, shops and religious places were being attacked are circulating in social media sites, BBC report says.
Expressing his views on the allegations against the police the Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said some of the suspects were caught in the act.
“Among the suspects we arrested were people arrested while engaged in attacks, we arrested a local council member while he was setting fire to a mosque. However, we need to investigate whether some police officers are at fault,” he said.
Co-cabinet Spokesman Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that a separate inquiry is being carried out regarding the allegations that some of the security personnel were involved in the attacks.
In addition, the Minister said that the investigative teams have received information about the involvement of a joint opposition parliamentarian and his name would be revealed later.
“It has been proven how the MP had influence the police. Investigations into it are being conducted,” the Minister said.
Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that five local government members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have been identified in connection with the clashes and some of them are in custody.
It was revealed at the briefing that there were 264 Sinhalese, 41 Muslims and 9 others among the suspects arrested in connection with the communal violence that engulfed the central hill capital earlier this month.
Six others including two students have been asserted for spreading hate speech through social media networks.
When a journalist questioned regarding the alleged involvement of Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka in Kandy clashes, a heated debate broke out between Minister Rajitha Senaratne and the journalist.
Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara rejected the allegation and said that investigations indicate that the politicians of the SLPP have actively participated in it. “They accuse Minister Ranawaka to cover up their involvement,” the Minister said.
Last week, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa stressed that the SLPP has no connection with the communal clashes that erupted in Kandy.
