Four police officers, including former Peliyagoda Police Station Officer-in-Charge Chief Inspector Linton Silva, have been formally indicted before the Colombo High Court over the alleged torture of a law student inside the Peliyagoda Police Station in February 2021, NewsFirst reported.
The indictments were filed before Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika Sri Ragala. The other accused are Jayakodi Arachchige Sumith Kumara Somaratne, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Nadun Tharaka Madhuranga Abeykoon and Papagoda Arachchige Athula Wijesinghe.
The victim is Migara Gunaratne, the youngest son of former Western Province Governor and President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne. According to the case, on February 25, 2021 Migara Gunaratne went to the Peliyagoda Police Station to deliver lunch to Shashika Jayaweera, a client of his father being held under a detention order. Police officers were attempting to forcibly obtain a statement from the detainee when a disagreement escalated and the officers allegedly subjected the law student to inhuman assault and torture, prosecutors say.
The Attorney General has filed charges under Section 32 of the Penal Code and under the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act, No. 22 of 1994.
Migara Gunaratne separately petitioned the Supreme Court alleging that his fundamental rights had been violated. A three-judge bench ruled that the responsible police officers, including Linton Silva, along with the State, must pay compensation to the petitioner from their personal funds.
The case follows a wider sequence of accountability moves against police misconduct, including the CIABOC arrest of a Peliyagoda Police constable on bribery charges in May. The High Court case is scheduled to be taken up again on July 16.
Sources: Former Peliyagoda OIC Indicted Over Brutal Assault on Law Student — NewsFirst, June 17.
