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NPC to release interim report on Embilipitiya incident next week
View(s):An interim report based on investigations into the death of a young man during a clash with Police in Embilipitiya, will be released by the National Police Commission (NPC) in the coming week, its Secretary Ariyadasa Cooray said.
A three-member team from the NPC has been dispatched to Embilipitiya to conduct separate investigations, where they will record statements from the Police as well as witnesses to the incident, he said.
“The report handed over to the IGP on the incident was inconclusive and recommended further investigations, and hence, the NPC is pursuing another investigation,” Mr Ariyadasa said.
Meanwhile, Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayaka told Parliament this week that new information revealed that the 119 call received by the police emergency had been made after police personnel had reached the scene.
“I was informed previously that the Police had arrived at the scene after they received a 119 call, but later, after scrutinising the call details, it was found that the call was made, probably by an onlooker, after the Police arrived there,” he said.
The Minister added that, “Until a final report of the investigation is submitted, it is difficult to conclude the circumstances that led to the death of 29-year-old Sumith Prasanna. The facts could change as the investigation progresses,” he said.
Thirty one personnel from the Embilipitiya police have been transferred out of station, after the incident in which Sumith Prasanna died after falling off the third story of a building, during a clash between the Police and a group of civilians who had gathered at the premises for a party. It is not clear if he fell accidently or was pushed off the building.