NPC appoints 3 member committee to probe incident

Acting IGP Pujith Jayasundara, DIG Gamini Mathurata and SSP Champika Siriwardana appeared before the National Police Commission (NPC) today to make statements over the alleged assault on students who staged a protest in Colombo last week.

The NPC later decided to appoint a three member committee to probe the clash between the police and students of the Higher National Diploma in Accountancy (HNDA).

The police have been accused of assaulting students who took part in a protest in Colombo last week over several demands.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a committee headed by Dr. BMS Batagoda to investigate the incident.

Law and Order Minister Tilak Marapana is to make a special statement in Parliament tomorrow?regarding the incident.

The Government said that if the police had misused their powers then action must be taken against the responsible officers.

Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera said that when the new Government took office it assured an independent and responsible police force.

He said that new Government accused the former regime of giving orders to the police to assault protesting students and today nothing seems to have changed.

The Deputy Minister said that the students who took part in the protest were seen pushing the police barricades but the police should have limited their response by using water cannons and tear gas.

?If the police had used water cannons and tear gas a second time the students would have dispersed. Instead they chased the students and assaulted them,? he said.

The Deputy Minister said that while the NPC must show gratitude for the good the police officers do, those who misuse their powers must also be dealt with accordingly.

He said that the law must be used not only against the police officers who misused their powers but also the students who broke the law.?(Colombo Gazette)