Welikada 'massacre' eyewitness claims conspiracy to silence him

A key eyewitness into the alleged Welikada Prison massacre in November, 2012 has made a complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that his life is in danger following an attempt by a senior railway engineer to transfer him. He claimed the move would place his life in danger. 

Sudesh Nandimal Silva, an eyewitness to the events inside the Welikada Prison during the time of the alleged massacre, said a senior engineer at the Railway Department, where he is employed, had attempted to transfer him to Kandy while CID investigations into his complaint regarding the Welikada Prison massacre was ongoing. 

Mr Nandimal said after an inquiry conducted by the Railway Department, he had been reinstated as an employee after a period of 10 years subject to a one year probation. The probation period was deemed as punishment. However, the senior engineer of his particular department had then attempted to transfer him to Kandy. "This is illegal as I have already been subjected to a punishment through the probation period," he told the Sunday Times. 

Mr Nandimal alleged that when he tried to make his case to the engineer, the latter had threatened and accused him of attempting to send former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and senior military officials to prison by implicating them in the Welikada massacre. 

He said he later took his case to General Manager Railways, who agreed to look into it. "I explained that I am a state witness and this was a clear attempt to intimidate me and to place my life in jeopardy." Subsequently, Mr. Nandimal said his transfer had been cancelled. 

"However, I am unsure if the senior engineer will continue to victimise me and as such, I have made a complaint to the CID and also intend to complain to the Human Rights Commission," he added.  

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