Doctor's Chilling Account: Treating Victims in Batalanda's Torture Chambers

COLOMBO (News 1st); Numerous witnesses have testified at the Batalanda Commission, revealing the existence of torture chambers within several houses at the Batalanda Housing Complex.

Many individuals who entered these chambers met their end through brutal means, such as being burned with tires or beaten with rods. However, some managed to escape or narrowly survived.

The commission's report includes detailed accounts of the conditions within these torture chambers, with significant testimony provided by Dr. Wimal Aththanayake, an Ayurvedic physician.

Dr. Aththanayake, who practiced in Bollagala, Biyagama, often treated police officers free of charge.

In 1990, Police Inspector N.M.S.B. Nissanka and his team visited Dr. Aththanayake, bringing two injured detainees with them. The detainees had severe wounds, which Dr. Aththanayake treated.

Three days later, Dr. Aththanayake was summoned to the Kelaniya Police Station, where Inspector Nissanka showed him one of the previously treated detainees, now in critical condition, and requested that he keep the detainee alive for at least one more day.

Dr. Aththanayake treated the detainee and returned home, only to be taken to the Batalanda Housing Complex two days later. 

There, he witnessed six to eight individuals tied to a large iron bed with ropes, all bearing severe injuries. Inspector Nissanka had asked Dr. Aththanayake to treat these individuals as well.

Dr. Aththanayake's testimony highlighted the appalling conditions and the severe injuries of the detainees, who emitted a strong odor and had wounds infested with maggots. 

After treating them, Dr. Aththanayake was taken to Inspector Nissanka's official residence within the complex and offered tea.

When questioned by the commission, Inspector Nissanka denied asking Dr. Aththanayake to treat the detainees. 

Due to inconsistencies in his statements, the commission decided to examine him under oath. 

However, shortly before he was to testify, Inspector Nissanka reportedly committed suicide.

Another individual, Vincent Fernando, who provided a confidential statement to the commission, also died under mysterious circumstances.

These testimonies and attempts to silence witnesses reveal the horrifying truth of the torture chambers that claimed the lives of over 3,000 young men and women.

Despite efforts to suppress the truth, living witnesses can still be found to testify about these atrocities.