A delayed breathalyzer test, missed procedures, and senior-level inaction have triggered a police probe, raising serious questions about law enforcement accountability in a high-profile accident involving a sitting MP.
The Police Media Division announced on December 18 that an internal investigation has revealed serious negligence by police officers in handling the car accident involving National People’s Power MP and former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala. Following the findings, the Inspector General of Police has ordered strict disciplinary action against officers found to have committed dereliction of duty.
The accident occurred on the night of December 11 in the Sapugaskanda area, when a jeep driven by MP Ashoka Ranwala collided with another car and a motorcycle. Three people were injured in the crash, including a small child. Ranwala was later arrested in connection with the incident, produced before court, and released on bail.
Soon after the accident, criticism emerged from multiple quarters over delays in law enforcement procedures, particularly the failure to promptly conduct a breathalyzer test to determine whether alcohol was involved at the time of the crash. These concerns prompted an internal inquiry ordered by the IGP.
According to the Police Media Spokesperson’s Division, the investigation was conducted by Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Traffic Control and Road Safety, W.P.J. Senadheera. The completed report has since been submitted to IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya.
The inquiry established that the accident took place around 7.25 pm on December 11. However, a police sergeant from the Sapugaskanda Police Station reached the scene only about 25 minutes later, at approximately 7.50 pm. The Officer-in-Charge of the Sapugaskanda Police Station and the OIC of the Traffic Division arrived around 8.00 pm.
By that time, MP Ranwala, the injured child, and two injured women were no longer present at the scene. The report notes that at around 9.30 pm, the same sergeant proceeded to the Kiribathgoda Hospital to follow up on the incident.
Upon arrival, the sergeant reportedly questioned a security guard near the hospital gate, who informed him that the injured parties had been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment. Investigations later revealed that the sergeant failed to verify this information with hospital officials or personally check patient records.
Contrary to the assumption made by the officer, MP Ranwala was still at the Kiribathgoda Hospital at the time. Hospital sources stated that he left the facility at around 10.35 pm. Subsequently, when Ranwala attempted to seek admission at the Colombo National Hospital, tensions escalated as relatives of the injured victims reportedly confronted him.
The report submitted to the IGP states that the Sapugaskanda Police sergeant left the hospital without conducting any further investigation, citing the tense atmosphere at the premises. As a result, no meaningful investigative steps were taken that night.
The police report further explains that officers claimed they were unable to administer a breathalyzer test because the MP was hospitalized. However, the investigation found that Sapugaskanda Police failed to issue the standard forensic medical form required in such cases while Ranwala was at Kiribathgoda Hospital. That form was only provided the following day by police attached to the Colombo National Hospital.
As a result, Ranwala’s blood and urine samples were collected only on the day after the accident, raising further concerns about procedural delays and the integrity of the investigation.
The inquiry also revealed that neither the OIC of Sapugaskanda Police nor the OIC of the Traffic Division visited Kiribathgoda Hospital or the Colombo National Hospital on the night of the accident, despite the incident involving a sitting MP, allegations of alcohol consumption, and multiple injured victims.
It was only the next day, following the direct intervention of the IGP, that MP Ranwala was formally arrested. The report states that police should have taken immediate steps to arrest him on the night of the accident, given the seriousness of the allegations and the hospitalization of the victims.
The investigation concluded that the OIC of Sapugaskanda Police, the OIC of the Traffic Division, the Senior Superintendent of Police supervising the station, and relevant district-level officers all committed dereliction of duty.
Accordingly, the IGP has instructed the Police Special Investigation Unit to launch a preliminary inquiry against the officers involved and to initiate strict disciplinary proceedings.
Meanwhile, the case related to MP Ashoka Ranwala’s car accident is scheduled to be taken up before the Mahara Magistrate’s Court on December 19.
