Police Constable Tuan Sabhan commemorated

By L.B.Senaratne

The police venerated the  Police constable Tuan Sabahan who sacrificed his life for the people of the country 159 years ago.

Mawanella Officer in Charge Chef Inspector lasantha Kaluarachi organized the anniversary of the death of Police Constable Sabhan to commemorate the service of the police constable who was not posthumously rewarded after he was shot by the bandit Sardiel who was a terror for the rich and a solace for the poor.

 Saradiel was branded a “Social Bandit "before he was hanged in public at " Hangaman's Hill ' close to the present Kandy Central Market became a Catholic with the help of the Rev.: Father who used to visit prisons.

The day of remembrance fell on the 21st of March and Mawanella Officer in Charge Chef Inspector lasantha Kaluarachi organized the anniversary of the death of Police Constable Sabhan.

Before Sardiel shot Police Constable Sabhan , he had shot George Van Haght who was a  special  constable who was on suspension. Credit is given to Assistant Government Agent E.R.Saunders for the arrest of Sardiel.

The Deputy Inspector General of Sabragamuwa A.R.D.M.Roshan Rajapakse laid a wreath at foot of the stone Tablet which commemorates Police Constable Sabhan.

While the police did not forget Police Constable Tuan Sabhan who sacrificed his life for the people of the country, yet the case record of the trial of the bandit Deekerilege Saradiel is missing, from the records of the Kandy Courts.

The trial proceedings were on parchment paper signed by Justice Thompson and this was found in the old Court House and then shifted to the present Courts Complex at Getambe.  During the tenure of Kandy Bar Association President Shanthi Ratnayake PC and Talatha Athukorale as Justice Minister moved to have the records located at the Kandy Court House.  It is said that even though the Archives department had also moved in the matter, nothing seemed to have happened to the suggestion. It would have been a matter of importance to follow how British Justice functioned in Ceylon as Sri Lanka was then known.

The writer has seen the documents', when the old records were shifted and shown by one of the peons' Wickrame', to the writer.  They were put into polythene bags and sent to the Kandy Courts complex and should be somewhere and if found would be of utmost significance to the country and to the Judiciary.

The bags were lying on the corridors of the ground floor of the ' new ' Courts complex, until then President of the Kandy Bar Shantha Rartnayake PC, moved.

However, unfortunately,  when the valuable Court records were shifted to Getambe new courts complex, it is alleged that they were not properly inventorised and many records could not be found and even if found it took at least a year to find the relevant record.  It was in a mess as there were no racks to file the records and they were constructed much later.  It is in this situation that the former President of the Kandy moved the Minister of Justice to this situation and on one of her visits, reported in the newspapers, she took notice of this fact and the Archives department moved.

 Among other Police officers present were SSP of Kegalle, Y.L.Leelartne, and ASP W.A.D.P.Weerasekera. And other distinguished members of the public.