The case pending in the Kalutara High Court under case number HC570 / 13 could be the longest criminal case in the world. It’s been 20 years and it’s still under investigation. What is the case in this case? The case against Lasantha Jagath Kumara, who was brutally murdered in Payagala police custody, is still pending. Who is the main accused in this case? He was the OIC in charge of the Payyagala Police Crime Division at that time. Name Walpolagedara Prasanna Wickramaratne.
On June 12, 2000, Lasantha was arrested by the Paiyagala police team led by Prasanna Wickramaratne, claiming that he was a deserter. Although it is true that Lasantha Jagath Kumara is a member of the Army, the Paiyagala Police will not hand him over to the Army. He should be handed over to the army in due course. But it did not happen. The Payyagala Police Chief has taken steps to detain Lasantha stating that he was involved in a number of petty crimes in the Payagala area. Lasantha, who will be produced before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court on June 17, five days after his arrest, will be charged by the Paiyagala Police with several minor offenses. By that time, Lasantha had been brutally beaten by the police and had been released on bail. His sister Amitha Priyanthi told us that even when he was produced in court, one of his arms was broken and hanging from the skin. Lasantha is presented to the court with a false forensic medical report.
Medical Officer WR Piyasoma was the medical officer who wrote the report to the police. The medical report states that there were only 5 minor scratches on Lasantha’s body. But even then Lasantha’s internal organs may have been damaged. Piyasoma, who wrote the fake report, was suspended from the Medical Council for three years. Lasantha, who will be brought to the Colombo Magazine Prison on June 18 on a court order, will close his eyes on June 20. The forensic pathologist who examined the death said there were 22 internal injuries. Now you can imagine the behavior of the Paiyagala police.
Although the main accused in the case, Walpolagedara Prasanna Wickramaratne was arrested in connection with the incident, he will be released on bail soon. He has been missing since bail. The wife of the police officer has told the court that the man has left Sri Lanka. But Ms. Amitha Priyanthi, who has been in court for more than 20 years seeking justice for her brother, says the man is living in hiding somewhere in Sri Lanka. That is under the auspices of the police. Harshana Nanayakkara, a lawyer representing the government, did not say anything in this regard. The same is true in other cases. If the only law is how could this person be given a special opportunity? It seems everyone has helped him get out of this case. Recently I heard that this person has applied for his job several times. So if you apply for a job, the police should know that the person is alive. The intelligence officers themselves say that he has appealed to the police headquarters, so if the person is somewhere in Sri Lanka, why is he not arrested? ‘Amitha Priyanthi’s questioning is justified.
‘There were four cases in all, three cases pending at the moment, one fundamental rights case, one Supreme Court case, one criminal case and two district court cases. In addition, an investigation was launched against the Medical Council, and in addition, an investigation was launched by the Police Department into a breach of order. It is not clear to us what happened to them. However, only the OIC of the Crimes Division who was suspected as the relevant accused was suspended. Because when Ranjith Abeysuriya set up the Police Commission, it was literally activated unlike today. Fair action was taken on public complaints. Finally, I would like to point out that due to the weakness of the law enforcement agencies and their links with the criminals, justice will not be served in this country. The younger brother is gone. The younger son is now a young man. What can we say to him? Our family and my brother’s family were devastated. However, the accused in this case is still at large. When will we get justice? It must be said that all these cases and the struggle for justice are the result of Amita Priyanthi’s unwavering commitment and courage.