Sunday Times 2
Political thuggery: Police must uphold rule of law
“Ewa koheda maath ekka? (How can they interfere with what I do?)”
This is part of the statement made by UPFA parliamentarian Nishantha Muthuhettigama after his attempt to take away the suspects arrested by the Wanduramba Police in a case of arson and causing damage to the stage and sound equipment at a venue for the meeting of the opposition common candidate. According to his statement the Police cannot do anything to him as he is a member of the governing party and that he or his supporters could commit any criminal offence and the Police have no business to enforce the law against them.
In our country, the Wonder of Asia, there are two sets of laws. One for the members of the ruling party and their henchmen or their party supporters, and the other for the marginalised and suppressed ordinary citizens of our country. Several instances of ruling party politicians taking the law into their own hands are reported on a regular basis. What does the Police spokesman say? He only announces that “two or three teams have been appointed to conduct investigations”, but he does not announce the results of the investigations. It appears that the teams go here, there and often nowhere.
Wandunramba incident
It has been widely reported that the UPFA parliamentarian had gone to the Police station and had removed the suspects saying he wanted to take them to courts. The politician has taken upon himself the role and the duties of the Police officers to take the suspects to court. The parliamentarian has acknowledged this. The truth of the story is that the MP was allowed by the police to take the suspects who were in police custody.
Fugitive: Deputy Minister Muthuhettigama
The latest turn of events is that the OIC of the Wanduramba police has tendered his resignation. From some reliable Police officers, it is learnt that the OIC had jumped the gun before he was to be interdicted for neglect of duties and other departmental charges for his involvement in handing over the suspects to the UPFA parliamentarian. It is also learnt through the same sources that the OIC though being aware that the suspects were supporters of the UPFA MP had not taken action to arrest them, but had been visiting the house of the UPFA MP and made arrangement for the suspects to be brought to the Police station and for the MP to take them to the courts.
The Baddegama Magistrate, before whom the suspects were produced by the Wanduramba Police, had seen through the manipulation in the “B” report filed by the OIC, and had castigated the Police for filing a “B” report in a manner favouring the suspects to be released on bail. The Magistrate refused bail in spite of the manipulation of the Wanduramba Police.
The OIC giving the reason for his resignation had mentioned political interference and blamed the Senior Police Officers for not having taken action against politicians. It can be stated with emphasis that the OIC of a police station is legally empowered to maintain law and order more than any of the senior officers in that area.
Hambantota Mayor
It is reliably learnt that it was a senior officer who having come to know the arrangement made by the OIC and the UPFA parliamentarian to hand over the suspects to the parliamentarian to be taken to courts, took immediate steps to take the suspects into custody from the parliamentarian and produce them before court.
Another glaring case of police officers failing to take action against politicians is that of Hambantota mayor who was seen by many including the police officers, wielding a pistol and chasing after some opposition parliamentarians. This mayor is so politically powerful that the police did not even question him.
The latest criminal case where the mayor allegedly assaulted the members of the opposition of his own council too has been ignored by the Police, but conveniently allowing him to surrender due to adverse publicity against him over this incident.
The action of the Galle Division’s senior officer who disregarded political thuggery and the magistrate who remanded the suspects in spite of the Police attempting to have the suspects released on bail should be commended. The law enforcement agencies and the judiciary have to work hand in hand to establish the rule of law in this country. The law must be equal to all. There cannot be one set of laws for the rulers and another set of laws for the peasants.
Let there be more and more police officers and judges who will not cave in to the dictates of the politicians so that the rule of law is implemented without discrimination. As for the Wanduramba arson incident, the action of the deputy minister amount to a criminal offence, obstruction of police officers in carrying out their duties, abduction and other charges. The people are eagerly following this case to know whether the police will take proper criminal action against this MP. The people expectsthe police to act bravely, independently and impartially.
(The writer is a former Deputy Inspector of General. This article was written before Deputy Minister Nishantha Muthuhettigama left for Singapore on Friday despite an arrest
warrant on him)