Dr. W.D.L. Indunil, a young lady doctor attached to Bandagiriya Central Dispensary in the southern Hambanthota district, was shot dead on the 29th of September, allegedly by an army officer.
Dr. Indunil complained a year ago against an army officer for criminal assault. A case filed on this assault is still pending. According to the The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), it had information that the suspect is said to have threatened to kill Dr. Indunil on several occasions.
Doctors in the area have been refusing to work till the police arrest the army officer they say is responsible for the shooting. Meanwhile the doctors are reportedly warning of an island wide strike if the authorities fail to arrest the assassin. GMOA expects the police to take the suspect into custody within the next 48 hours, and if they are unable to do so they will resort to a country wide strike action. According to reports, the doctors attached to the association have unanimously agreed to the decision of resorting to trade union action regarding the murder of Dr. Indunil, for the purpose of demanding immediate arrest of the suspect of murder.
On the 20th of September a man named Sugath Nishantha Fernando, a complainant in a torture case and a bribery case, was assassinated in Negambo. He had also received death threats, demanding that he withdraw the cases filed against some police officers who were the respondents in these cases.
The assassination of Nishantha Fernando received island wide attention and the Supreme Court also commented on the issue, when the matter was mentioned in another case before the Supreme Court.
However, no one has yet been arrested for the assassination.
Instead, two of the lawyers who had appeared in this case received threatening telephone calls stating that they should keep away from this case or face consequences. This matter was brought to the attention of the Bar Association on the 27th of September and the Bar Association passed a resolution condemning the attack and demanded immediate action from the Inspector General of Police.
A grenade was thrown at the house of a prominent human right lawyer, Mr. JC Weliamuna, on the night of the 27th. The attack came under local and international condemnation. The European Union and the US embassy in Colombo issued statements demanding immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice. Over 300 lawyers took to the streets yesterday demanding investigations, the arrest of the perpetrators and protection for Mr. Weliamuna as well as for all lawyers.
However, on the same day someone tried to forcibly enter the premises of the Transparency International where Mr. Weliamuna is executive director and he was prevented by TI officers. The intruder was whisked away by a motorcycle rider who suddenly arrived at the scene. Complaints have also been made to the IGP to investigate and arrest the perpetrators.
In all these incidents cited above, the police inaction was the cause of the possibility of these assassinations and attacks. What is also remarkable is that complaints to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) do not result in any successful investigations or arrest. In fact, hardly any investigations take place and the climate in the country is such that the perpetrators particularly if they are police officers or army officers or those who are acting under their instruction feel secure that no adverse consequences will follow their actions.
The main responsibility for police inaction must be placed on the Inspector General of Police. He is the statutory authority for ensuring police investigations and arrest. The wave of popular protest arising by way of strikes and demonstrations by lawyers, doctors and others must be directed towards demanding accountability from the IGP.
