Sri Lanka Police have removed a makeshift tent set up by several opposition groups at the Fort Railway Station in Colombo over the detention of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief Major General (Retired) Suresh Salley, NewsFirst reported.
The tent had been placed in front of the railway station as part of a Satyagraha campaign launched in support of Salley. The protest drew former Members of Parliament Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila and members of the Maha Sangha, NewsFirst said in a 4:44 p.m. dispatch.
The removal comes less than a day after the Satyagraha began on Monday morning, itself a continuation of a Sunday opposition mobilisation in Colombo Fort called to protest Salley’s CID detention and alleged inhumane treatment in custody.
Salley remains under CID custody on detention orders linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings probe. He was arrested on February 25 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital late on June 7 after his condition deteriorated. The CID told the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court by motion on Monday that Salley had been transferred for emergency treatment while remaining under detention. Police have separately reinforced security at the hospital and surrounding areas, deploying CID and Special Task Force officers to maintain order.
Family members and political supporters say Salley has launched a hunger strike, stopping food, water and medication, and that the protest is part of a wider call to repeal the PTA. Police have rejected the family’s allegations of mistreatment.
Update — June 8 (evening): Ada Derana reported that the Sarvajana Balaya alleged defamatory content was being circulated on social media targeting Salley’s wife and children. Speaking at the Satyagraha site opposite Colombo Fort Railway Station, Sarvajana Balaya Deputy Chairperson Dr. Channa Jayasumana called for Salley’s release on the grounds that he was being “unlawfully detained” and accused “government-linked actors and political activists” of orchestrating the alleged online harassment. Buddhist monks and representatives from several opposition parties — including the Sarvajana Balaya, the National Freedom Front, the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna — joined the demonstration. Ada Derana’s correspondent reported tensions when police removed the temporary stage set up for the protest.
