Sunday Times 2
A much soughtafter police officer who fell from grace
Here is a warning to serving police officers and the public about the serious ramifications arising from superior officers exploiting good police officers for publicity’s sake. Seeking short term glory for a few while causing long term disaster to the police officer so exploited, the Police Service and the public, is despicable.
Inspector Rahula Silva was a fascinating character – tough, clever, daring yet obliging and amenable. His is a story of an outstanding young police officer with much promise, being exploited by his superior officers including the Chief of Police, and then dumped when things got out of hand.
Wennappuwa has always been famous for illicit manufacture of liquor and many a Police officer succumbed to temptations by Kasippu mudalalis. Early in his Police career, Rahula was appointed OIC of Wennappuwa Police and he cleaned up all Kasippu joints. He could not be bought over and received much publicity in the media. His superiors were overjoyed with the publicity. Too often did he resort to extra-legal methods and excesses, but his superiors ignored complaints against him adopting an attitude that Rahula was beyond reproach. Allegations about his amorous tendencies were also ignored.
From Wennappuwa he went as OIC Puttalam Police. It was here that he busted the sensational Managala Eliya Murder Case. One Podiappuhamy, a school master at the Mangala Eliya mixed school, fell in love with a girl there. Promising to marry her, he got her to leave school and left her with a boutique keeper in a jungle area. The body of this girl was later found dumped in a lake. When the police started to look for Podiappuhamy, he fled the area and was arrested several months later in Ampara. A confession was elicited from him and on his confession he was charged with the murder, convicted in the Assize Court, sentenced to death and hanged. The trial judge highly commended Rahula for his investigation capability in open court to the media, and the media went to town with it. Thereafter it was Rahula Silva daily in the media.
Later in 1966, when Mr Silva was serving as OIC Beliatta Police, he was specially brought down to Colombo to assist the CID in the investigation into the alleged coup. During the investigation two of the suspects fell to their death from the fourth floor of the New Secretariat Building. The police version was that they jumped out but there were allegations that they were thrown out. One has to bear in mind that even if they had jumped out, it could not have been with the intention to escape from custody, but to escape unbearable pain. Be that as it may, an excerpt from the Trial-At-Bar, SC 66/67 reproduced, speaks for itself: “The manner in which Rahula Silva was brought down to the CID for the purpose of this investigation is one that arouses suspicion. For we have it from Inspector Weeratunga that on 10.4.66, he was directed to contact Rahula Silva, officer-in-charge of Beliatta Police, and to ask him to report to the CID without informing his SP or ASP. On this very day Weeratunga went to Beliatta in his own car, contacted Rahula Silva and brought him to Colombo at about 3.30 AM on the 11th. Before leaving Beliatta, Rahula admittedly made a false entry at the station to the effect that he was taking four days leave. The evidence of SP, CID, was that the I.G.P. was aware of this move. These circumstances exposed the Police to the comment by the defence that Rahula Silva’s arrival had a very sinister significance.
The speed with which the order of the SP was carried out without regard to distance covered or the hours of the night when Weeratunga had to drive his vehicle are factors which suggest grave urgency in obtaining the services of Rahula Silva. On the morning of 11th April when Rahula Silva met SP.CID, at about 10.30 AM, at the Head Quarters of the Special Branch on the fourth floor of the New Secretariat, he was handed over two dossiers to study and was directed to interrogate the 6th accused Amaratunga who, it must be remembered, had requested a pardon not so long ago as a condition of his making a statement. On a request made by the SP, CID the 6th accused was brought to the CID Headquarters later in the day from his detention barracks.
Rahula Silva learnt that the team of interrogators would consist of Inspector Weeratunga, himself and sub-inspector Senanayake. Rahula Silva studied the dossier for some hours and later met Weeratunga and Senanayake and discussed with them the line of interrogation before the 6th accused was brought up….”
It is clear that Rahula was brought in to this investigation because of his reputation for effective use of third degree methods to elicit confessions.
The last post held by Rahula was OIC Wattala Police. Rahula was so popular that people of many walks of life liked to befriend him. One such person was Mike Wilson, a famous British Navy diver who joined up with Arthur Clarke and Rodney Jonklaas to produce under water films. Mike Wilson married beauty queen Elizabeth Perera of Wattala who became an added attraction to his pursuits. Mike who was a cannabis user introduced it to Rahula too. Mike later took to full time meditation under name of ‘Swami Sivakalki’!
During his stint at Wattala Police, Rahula was faulted for interfering in a domestic family problem when the husband complained of undue interference. Charges were framed against him and on being found guilty, he was dismissed from service. His appeals for reinstatement had backing, but he could not be reinstated due to his conduct during the period he was out of the Police.
Thus ended the career of a police officer, to whom the sky was the limit if only he had due guidance and supervision.
It broke my heart when I attended Rahula’s funeral. Though once a much sought after police officer, not more than a dozen people were present to mourn his death. From the Police it was only his batchmate and concerned adviser D.N.S. Perera, Upali Seneviratne who is always there to console his friends in distress and myself, a friend from school days, though we went to rival schools.
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