Journalist insists police insulted him

The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) secretary Poddala Jayantha yesterday rejected Government claims that the policemen who made a pre-dawn to visit to his house purportedly looking for information on a suspect acted in a polite manner.

The journalist has vowed to take the matter before the Human Rights Commission claiming that he and his family were treated in a degrading manner when six policemen from the Matara police called over at his house at 3.15 a.m. on Monday. Non-Cabinet Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena on Friday told a news conference that the policemen had gone to his house accidentally while looking for a suspect involved in a case of a series of vehicle robberies.

The minister released to the media a report submitted by Matara Division Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) B.P.B Ayupala, in which he states that the police team visited the Moragahena police area looking for a suspect by the name of Chandana Perera and they had visited the area Grama Niladhari to trace the suspect, but as the Grama Niladhari was not in they had sought the assistance of two residents to locate the suspect.

The report states since they could not locate the suspect, the two residents had suggested they seek the help of the journalist whom they later identified as Poddala Jayantha. The report claims that it was the two residents known to Mr. Jayantha who had rung the bell of the house and when the police were about to produce their official identity cards they were abused by the inmates of the house. The report says the police team thereafter left saying it was alright if Mr. Jayantha could not provide any information. But Mr. Jayantha said that the police threatened him and turned abusive and demanded that he comes out of the house.

“It is a clear instance that the police were trying to misuse their powers,” he said. He said that the SLWJA was in the process of preparing a detailed response to the minister’s comments and SSP Ayupala’s report and will most likely release it to the media tomorrow. He said that most comments in the SSP’s report were incorrect and added the SLWJA response will counter all the claims.