The Committee to Protect Rights of Prisoners will file a petition with the National Police Commission this week against the reinstatement of Inspector of Police Neomal Rangajeewa to his position at the Police Narcotics Bureau which he held prior to his arrest in connection with the Welikada prison killings in 2012.
Rangajeewa was reinstated by the Police this week after he was granted bail by the courts on September 26. The Committee to Protect Rights of Prisoners headed by Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera, the lawyer representing several victims in the Welikada prison killings, claims according to the Establishment Code in Sri Lanka, a state employee accused of criminal wrongdoing is often interdicted till he is cleared of the accusations.
“The allegations against Rangajeewa are of a very severe nature,” he said adding that “therefore the Committee has serious concerns regarding his reinstatement”.
According to Perera, they are privy to information that various elements are indirectly trying to influence decisions such as ensuring the reinstatement of IP Rangajeewa which has also raised doubts if the due process of law will be allowed to prevail as a result.
While Rangajeewa was found to have threatened several witnesses and members of their families earlier which was reported to the court, Perera says the latest development will only instill further fear in them. “They may not be willing to come forward again as they have lost faith in the system and are afraid,” he said. Rangajeewa is accused by the CID of illegally entering the prison and gathering selected prisoners and calling them out by name prior to their killing.
He was arrested in March this year after IGP Pujith Jayasundara ordered a fresh round of investigations into the case in July 2017.
Twenty-seven prisoners were killed during the Welikada Prison killings on November 9, 2012, following a riot by prisoners opposing the Special Task Force and Commando Soldiers conducting a raid at the prison.