A late-night assault on a police officer involved in a cannabis raid has triggered serious allegations, counter-complaints and political controversy in Suriyakanda, raising questions about law enforcement safety and political influence.
A police officer attached to the Suriyakanda Police, who was returning home after completing his official duties, has been assaulted by a group that allegedly included Ratnapura District National People’s Power MP Shantha Padmakumara.
The injured officer is currently receiving treatment at the Embilipitiya Hospital after sustaining injuries in the attack, which reportedly took place on the night of the 20th. According to the complaint, the officer had recently participated in a cannabis raid carried out by the Suriyakanda Police.
Police sources state that the raid was conducted on land allegedly belonging to the father of the wife of the MP named in the assault. The officer has told investigators that the MP and several others arrived in a vehicle and attacked him, threatening him by saying, “You will kill me.”
It has also been reported that National People’s Power MP Shantha Padmakumara has filed a counter-complaint with the police regarding the same officer, further complicating the investigation.
The Suriyakanda Police recently arrested a 24-year-old youth on the evening of the 16th in the Buluthota, Weliara area of Suriyakanda. The suspect was found cultivating cannabis plants measuring approximately one and a half feet and one foot in height within a cassava and maize plantation.
After being produced before the Additional Magistrate of the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court, Mr. Dilum U. Fernando, the suspect was fined three thousand rupees along with the confiscation of the cannabis plants.
It is reported that the land in question, said to belong to the father of the wife of the Ratnapura District parliamentarian, had been given to the suspect for cultivation. The court confirmed the fine imposed on the 24-year-old youth from Buluthota, Thalagahawatte in Suriyakanda.
