The police are to seek a Court directive in the case involving Labour Minister ‘Dr’. Mervyn Silva who is alleged to have led a mob that shot up and damaged a shop owned by a supporter of the Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP), at Aralaganwila in the Polonaruwa district this week, a senior policeman said yesterday.
The police chief of the North Central Province DIG K.P.P. Pathirana told The Sunday Times the police had already recorded statements from Minister Silva, the complainant K.G.L. Jayasinghe and several others and were currently in the process of submitting the matter to courts at the earliest date.
“The police are dealing with the case as a serious one and would take further action according to a directive issued by the courts, DIG Pathirana said. It is the most serious poll-related incident to be recorded in the province so far, he added.
Minister Silva had totally denied the allegations made against him and several others are supporting this claim, DIG Pathirana said. “However there are two versions on this issue and that is the reason it was decided to seek court advice, he said.
R.K. Indrananda, the JVP’s chief candidate at the NCP polls scheduled to be held later this month told The Sunday Times that four separate complaints had been lodged with the Aralagangwila police by the JVP against Minister Silva and several of his associates.
Several spent shells allegedly fired by the attackers were also handed over to the police, he said. The entire incident occurred around 10.30 p.m. and took place barely 150 metres from a police checkpoint, Mr. Indrananda said.
Mr. Indrananda further alleged that on the same day a young three-wheeler driver in Siripura town was pistol-whipped by supporters of the minister before being abducted and dumped four kilometres from the taxi stand.
The incident had occurred after the three-wheeler driver had failed to stand up when the minister and his supporters were passing the taxi stand. The incident took place in broad daylight around 3.30 p.m, Mr. Indrananda said.
The victim was identified as only Wickrema-the younger brother of a UNP organizer for the area.
Police however said they had not received any complaint in this regard, and therefore they were not aware of the incident.
In a separate incident the police had to be called in after Government supporters allegedly pelted stones and other missiles at the main JVP office at Isipathana Mawatha in Polonnaruwa on Friday, Mr. Indrananda further said.
He said the group began pelting stones after JVP activists had objected to pro-government posters being put up right in front of their office which is a violation of election laws.
Meanwhile Minister Silva vehemently denied all the allegations saying they were false and that it was the result of an internal struggle in the JVP.
He told The Sunday Times that he had already explained his position to the media and that there was nothing more to say, except to reiterate that he was not involved in this affair.
Security for Janaka slow in coming
The campaign office of Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) Janaka Perera complained yesterday that the Government was dragging its feet in providing the one-time decorated military commander with official security in his run-up for Chief Ministership of the North Central Province, despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week.
The Supreme Court had ordered eight Ministerial Security Division (MSD) guards to be provided to Maj. Gen. Perera until the conclusion of the provincial elections later this month. The order included the local police to provide him with the required security when he was touring the province campaigning for the opposition United National Party.
An aide of the retired General told The Sunday Times yesterday that Col. (Ret.) Channa Karunaratna, a one-time ADC of Maj. Gen. Perera had contacted the office of Senior Suprerintendent A.S.K. Munasinghe of the MSD shortly after the Supreme Court order giving the names of the personnel required, but that the office had informed him that the MSD was in the process of interviewing these officers prior to their release.
When SSP Munasinghe was contacted he told the The Sunday Times he received the Supreme Court order only yesterday. “We will be able to provide security to Maj. Gen. Perera by today,” he said. | 
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