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Assault on policeman by schoolboys; Minister’s son wanted by police
By Chris Kamalendran
A police constable injured in an alleged assault by a Cabinet Minister's son was taken to hospital nearly three hours after the incident after his statement was recorded at a police station, according to hospital and police records.

The constable who had his ear injured in the attack which allegedly included Minister Jayalath Jayawardena's son Sheshan on Thursday around midnight outside a leading girls’ school, had first been taken to the police station instead of to hospital.

The injured police constable H.M.R.S. Bandara, whose wife is expecting her second child next week and whose mother is in hospital had told his colleagues not to inform his home about the incident as they would be worried. Bandara and a security officer of a private firm identified as Dhammika Rajapakse, guarding the school were the only two present at the time of the incident.

Relating the incident, Rajapakse told The Sunday Times that eight boys in two vehicles had stopped in front to the entrance to the primary school and were attempting to spray the wall with paint or write on it, on Thursday night. "I guessed this was a group trying to disfigure the wall by writing on it, including lewd words. Therefore I came out of the gate and chased the boys away. Thereafter the police constable who usually reports for duty at the school arrived around 10.00 p.m and I explained to him what had taken place earlier in the night", he said.

"We were continuing to guard the place when we heard two vehicles stopping in front of the primary school gate. We immediately opened the gate and found that some boys were trying to put up posters on the school wall. We warned them not to do so", Rajapakse said. He said about 10 members in the group had then proceeded to put up the posters on a nearby telecommunication cabinet and left. The posters were advertising a drama to be held in the auditorium of another leading girls’ school in Colombo.

"The group left the place but we suspected that the boys would return as they were carrying instant paint spray cans in their hands. The constable and I, therefore waited outside the gate of the school. About half an hour later the same group came in two vehicles and got off in front of the school", Rajapakse said.

"As soon as the boys got off the vehicle they started spraying the wall. The constable walked up to them and told them to move away. At this point they noticed that one of the posters they had put up on the telecommunication cabinet had fallen off", he said. One boy in the group had then walked up to the policeman, held him by the collar and punched him in the stomach, asking him why he had removed the poster, Rajapakse said.

The boy who punched the constable had claimed to be a Minister’s son and reprimanded the constable for removing the posters. The constable had replied that he had not removed the posters.

He said that the constable was then beaten up by other members in the gang as well. Bandara told The Sunday Times on Friday that he fell down when he was being assaulted. "The group was becoming violent. I had no alternative but to pull out my pistol and shout to the boys to move off as otherwise I would shoot them. I fired two shots into the ground to scare them off", Bandara said.

The group then got into the vehicles and escaped. I managed to note down the vehicle numbers. One of them was a cab and the other a jeep. Soon after the incident took place the security officer had run to the Principal's residence and informed her about the incident. In turn the Cinnamon Gardens police had been informed.

The police who arrived had taken the injured constable to the Cinnamon Gardens police station despite his ear been torn and bleeding. At the police station the constable's statement had been recorded.

PC Bandara said that he had been taken to the hospital about three hours after the incident. According to hospital records, he had been admitted at 3.17 on Friday morning. Meanwhile, according to the security officer the Cabinet Minister concerned had come with his security personnel to the scene where the incident took place.

''The bodyguards of the Minister got off the vehicle while the Minister remained in the vehicle. I was able to identify the Minister. The bodyguards inquired as to what had taken place. I explained to them in detail what had happened", Rajapakse said. The following day Rajapakse had been told by the police to make a statement to the Cinnamon Gardens police.

Minister Jayawardena told The Sunday Times last night he would not interfere with the investigations. “Let the police do their duty,” he said.

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