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In a bombshell revelation that has sent shockwaves through Sri Lanka’s law enforcement ranks, former Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) Chief Inspector Anselm de Silva told a parliamentary inquiry that his team opened fire at the W15 Hotel in Weligama under direct orders from superiors, despite knowing the operation was legally questionable.
The testimony came during the ongoing investigation into suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, who is alleged to have orchestrated the controversial raid that left one CCD officer dead and another seriously wounded.
Appearing before the committee, Chief Inspector Anselm de Silva laid bare a grim account of the December 30, 2023 operation. “We were ordered to shoot. We were told it was an underworld hideout. So we shot at the wall and the signboard,” he said. But things quickly spiraled out of control.
“We came under fire during the operation. One of our officers was hit. I gave the command to retreat immediately. If we’d waited even seconds longer, more of us could’ve been killed,” he added, his voice heavy with regret.
The directive, de Silva confirmed, came from then Acting CCD Director ASP Neville de Silva, who also gave misleading assurances that the local police stations were informed. “That turned out to be false,” ASP Neville later admitted during his own testimony. “When I realised the truth and that we couldn’t bury this I gave the correct information to the CID.”
In a moment of rare candor, ASP Neville confessed, “We were acting on a knowingly illegal order. But in the police, you either follow orders or get sidelined.” He revealed that fake number plates were used on the police vehicles during the operation, an intentional move to avoid identification.
The scandal has taken a personal toll: ASP Neville is now suspended without pension, and one of the officers involved has already fled the country.
Anselm de Silva ended his testimony with a warning to others in uniform: “When you’re told to do something illegal, it’s better to ask for a transfer than to obey blindly. Don’t sacrifice your future for someone else’s agenda.”
The inquiry continues to probe the extent of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon’s role in the incident, with growing calls for criminal accountability and systemic reform in the wake of this chilling expose of how deadly obedience can be weaponized in the name of the law.
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