News
Youth dead under custody: Family refuses to believe police version
View(s):By Palitha Ariyawansa in Badulla
The family members of Satsara Nimesh (26), who died under suspicious circumstances after he was taken into police custody, refuses to accept the police version of events that led to his tragic end.
The young man from Meegahakivula, Badulla was multi-talented, excelling in dance and acting. He had begun training as caregiver at a private hospital in Colombo in which field he hoped to make a career.
Initially he had stayed at a temple in Colombo while undergoing the training but had decided to move to another boarding house which was cheaper.
Protest in front of Welikada Prison. Pic by Eshan Fernano
Nimesh was the second of three children while his father and mother have both served in the army.
His mother Samanthika said that on the fateful day Nimesh had called her around 11:00 a.m. and said he was moving to the new boarding house. He had called back at 3:00 p.m. to say that he had arrived at the boarding.
Around 8 p.m. the same night, one of his friends had called her and said Nimesh had been taken to the police station. ‘I called my son. He didn’t answer. After a while, my son called back. He said, “Amma, I don’t know where they are taking me.” Before he could say more, someone cut the call.’
She had called the number 14 times and finally someone had answered. When she queried who was answering, she was told they were from the Welikada police station.
“Sir, my son has done nothing wrong,” I told the person on the other side of the line but he did not answer. I was told that’s my son had jumped over a 10-foot wall into a garden and hid in the girl’s room and that the family caught him, tied him up, and called 119. I called the OIC of Welikada Police and told him that I would be taking the bus that night and coming to the police station.’
Grieving loved ones. Pix by Palitha Ariyawansa
She had taken the night bus from Meegahakivula and arrived at Welikada police station at around 7:45 in the morning. “I was sitting at the police station and looked at the men in the cell but my son was not there. I was sitting there for about three hours when the OIC came. He did not reply when I asked where my son was. Instead he asked how many children I have and what my husband is doing and if I had eaten anything and if he could get me some water.’
‘I said I don’t want anything and asked them to tell me where my child is. He said he was in the hospital.’
However when she asked if she could visit her son in the hospital, he had not replied.
While I was seated outside, after a long time, a police officer with a single star came over to her. ‘He asked if I was the mother of the dead child. I said no. Then two police officers came and asked me if I wanted to go to the canteen to eat something. I said no, I just wanted to see my son. I understood from their behavior that something was wrong. I began screaming “Is my son dead?” Then they took me back to the room.’
Satsara Nimesh: Tragic end to young life
She later learned that her son had been taken to the Mulleriyawa hospital on the pretext he was mentally unstable where he had died.
She added that the short pants that were on her son’ body did not belong to him.
‘I found the short pants my son was wearing in a trash bin. I pulled them out and gave them to the police officer there. He said he would mark them as evidence. The police should be held responsible for my son’s death.” she said.
“Everyone knows that my son is innocent. He has never harmed anyone, and is free from vice,” the mother, unable to bear the pain of the tragic loss her son said sobbing.
| Post-mortem report on Sathsara ordered by Colombo Magistrate On Wednesday, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered the exhumation of the body of Sathsara Nimesh, who died in police custody, for a full post-mortem examination by a panel of medical specialists. Colombo Additional Magistrate Keminda Perera issued the order following a request from the aggrieved party, including Sathsara Nimesh’s mother. The court instructed the Colombo Chief Judicial Medical Officer to conduct the exhumation and appoint a three-member committee of specialist doctors to conduct the examination and submit a report. Following Nimesh’s death, the Officer-in-Charge of the Welikada Police Station was removed from duty, and a police sergeant and constable were suspended due to alleged neglect of duty. In a report submitted to the court on Tuesday (8), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) stated that the initial post-mortem report did not determine a clear cause of death. Investigations are continuing, including blood sample analysis by the Government Analyst and inquiries into the deceased’s behavior and recent interactions. Nimesh, aged 26, was arrested on April 1 by Welikada Police on suspicion of unauthorised entry into a house in Nawala. Police reported that he exhibited aggressive behaviour in custody and died in the early hours of 2 April after being transported to the National Institute of Mental Health in Angoda. | |
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