Nine people have been arrested over the assault of wildlife officers at Riverston in the Matale district, police said. Those in custody include the son of a former Provincial Council member.
Three wildlife officers were injured in the attack, which took place on September 1 at Pitawala Pathana, NewsFirst reported. Two of them are still receiving treatment at Matale Hospital.
Investigators said the assault began when officers tried to stop a group from drinking alcohol near a wildlife office.
”We escaped with our lives only by running into the jungle”
Two of the officers described the attack to NewsFirst.
“The incident occurred in the Pitawala Pathana area. Our officers were assaulted, and we had to flee into the forest. We escaped with our lives only by running into the jungle. All of our officers were attacked,” one said.
“When our officers attempted to control a group behaving in an intoxicated manner at Riverston’s Pitawala Pathana area, they were attacked,” said another. “When I tried to intervene and bring the situation under control, they assaulted me very severely. The officers who were with me were also attacked. In the end, the officers had to run into the forest to protect their lives.”
The nine suspects were due to be produced before the Matale-Paldeniya Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Knuckles tourism body condemns the attack
The Knuckles Tourism Circle issued a statement condemning the assault and calling for strict legal action against those responsible for attacking wildlife conservation officers in the Knuckles region.
Pitawala Pathana is a montane grassland plateau on the Riverston stretch of the Knuckles Conservation Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage property and one of the country’s most visited highland walking areas. Officers there police a protected zone that draws large numbers of day visitors from Matale and Kandy.
What has not been reported
NewsFirst did not name any of the suspects, give their ages, or identify the former Provincial Council member whose son is among them. It did not say which council he served on or for which party. The report does not state what charges the nine face, whether weapons were used, how many officers were present, or the condition of the two still in hospital.
No other verified newsroom had carried the arrests at the time of writing, and the Department of Wildlife Conservation had issued no statement of its own.
