After the deadly damage of the Easter Sunday attacks, former President Maithripala Sirisena’s Commission to probe the attacks, convening yesterday (30th), disclosed that a senior police officer had threatened and forced a lower-ranking police officer, to commit a deliberate ‘mistake’.
Appearing before the four-member committee, (comprising Court of Appeal (CoA) Judge Janaka de Silva, CoA Judge Nissanka Bandula Karunarathna, Retired Judge of the High Court, Bandula Atapattu and Retired Ministry Secretary Ms. M. Adikari), was a 53-year-old, policeman Mudiyanselage Aryasinha.
The two-hour inquiry session, saw, Aryasinha, providing information on what took place after he was summoned by his superior officer, three days after the fateful Easter Sunday massacre.
Aryasinha, upon reporting to his superior, had been directed to make certain changes to a document, which he had firmly refused to do.
“He (the Police investigator) summoning me said, ‘I have a small job’. After learning as to what the work was I flatly refused to undertake the work. But, he threatened me and gave me a tongue-lashing for refusing,” said Aryasinha.
Aryasinha added that the senior officer had said that Aryasinha’s role was to dance to the tune of the investigator.
“I feared for my job and did what he told me to do,” he said.
The Commission formed on September 21 has been instructed to submit its first interim report within three months - in the third week of December, 2019.
The Commission is also ordered to submit interim reports every two months, and to submit its final report including the findings of the Commission’s investigations and its recommendations, within six months of the Commission’s appointment.
The Commission is to provide recommendations regarding what action should be taken against those held responsible for having committed offences and acts of wrongdoing relating to the subject of the inquiry, and recommendations aimed at preventing the occurrence of such offenses and acts of wrongdoing in the future, and on measures to be taken to prevent the possible damage to national security and national unity, caused by acts of terrorism and extremism.