Wijeyadasa urges action to be taken against IGP and Defence Secretary

MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe today urged the President to enforce the law against Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General of Police Pujitha Jayasundara for the alleged non disclosure of a vital warning that could have led to the prevention of Sunday’s attacks.

By Joshua Surendraraj

MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe today urged the President to enforce the law against Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General of Police Pujitha Jayasundara for the alleged non disclosure of a vital warning that could have led to the prevention of Sunday’s attacks.

In a letter addressed to the President, the Minister stated the Intelligence unit had received a tip off on the attacks on the April 4, 2019. However, according to the statements made by the President and the Prime Minister, the said warnings had not been conveyed to them, the letter said. 

The letter further added that the deliberate non disclosure of the said warnings had resulted in casualties that have reached up to 330 victims. Accordingly the letter stated that both the IGP and the Defence Secretary should be charged for committing an offence punishable under sections 296 and 297 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 21 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 

Section 21 of the Criminal Procedure code places a duty on any person aware of an intention of a person to commit certain offences of the Penal Code, to give such information to the authorities. Accordingly the section places a duty on a person who is aware of another person’s intention to commit an offence punishable under section 296 and 297 of the Penal code, to report it to the authorities.  

Section 296 of the penal code states the punishment for murder and section 297 of the Penal code states the punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder .