Colombo magistrate reprimand Sri Lanka police for failing to act on police brutality

Colombo Additional Magistrate Lal Bandara Ranasinghe criticized Sri Lanka police today for failing to conduct investigations regarding alleged police attacks on 13 houses in Mattakkuliya area in Colombo city.



Mattakkuliya police failed to provide an answer to a question asked by the magistrate regarding investigations. The magistrate said that he could not accept the common answer that the attacks were conducted by unknown persons.
The police produced 24 suspects in court from remand today and said 20 more suspects that attacked Mattakkuliya police station are to be arrested. The magistrate granted bail to three of the produced suspects. Further 121 suspects that were released earlier on bail also appeared in court.
They are suspected of participating in a mob attack following an announcement by a police official to the relatives of an arrested drug addict that the suspect had died in police custody. However, it was later revealed that the information was wrong.
police personnel of the Mattakkuliya police station had sought help from other police stations and the Army to control the unruly mob.
The police station sustained severe damage and later suspected police officials went on a rampage damaging 13 houses of those suspected of being in the mob that attacked the police station.
No arrests have been made so far in this regard