December 21, Colombo (LNW): An investigation has been launched following allegations that a police constable attached to the Sooriyakanda Police Station was assaulted by a group that reportedly included a Ratnapura District Member of Parliament from the National People’s Power (NPP).
According to police sources, the officer was attacked late on Tuesday night while returning home after completing his duties. He is currently undergoing treatment at the Embilipitiya Hospital for injuries said to have been sustained during the incident.
In his complaint, the officer claims the confrontation followed his involvement in a recent raid targeting an illegal cannabis cultivation. The operation had been carried out by Sooriyakanda Police on land reportedly linked to the family of the MP’s spouse.
The officer has alleged that MP Shantha Pathma Kumara Subasingha, accompanied by several others, arrived at the location in a vehicle, physically assaulted him and issued threats. Police confirmed that a counter-complaint has also been lodged by the Parliamentarian in connection with the same incident, and that statements from all parties are to be recorded.
The incident is believed to be connected to an earlier police operation on 16 December, when officers arrested a 24-year-old resident of Thalagahawatte for cultivating two cannabis plants hidden within a cassava and maize plot. The suspect was later produced before the Embilipitiya Additional Magistrate and fined Rs. 3,000.
Investigators say the land in question had allegedly been leased to the suspect for farming purposes and is believed to belong to the MP’s father-in-law. Police have stated that inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances surrounding both the cultivation case and the alleged assault.
