Deshabandu Accused of Aiding Violence On Aragalaya

COLOMBO (News 1st); It was revealed in court today that Former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, who served as the Western Province Senior DIG in 2022, failed to take action to prevent the attack on peaceful protesters at Galle Face on May 9, 2022.

Appearing before the Fort Magistrate’s Court following his arrest, Tennakoon was identified as a suspect in the case related to the violent crackdown on the “Aragalaya” movement.

Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera stated in court that Tennakoon had instructed officers not to intervene until his orders were given, despite the presence of approximately 2,000 armed individuals attacking unarmed civilians. 

The prosecution argued that Tennakoon’s inaction amounted to aiding and abetting the attackers.

Former Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon, who was arrested Wednesday (20) evening by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), was presented before Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura today around 1 PM.

During the hearing, Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera informed the court of the progress of the investigation and stated that Tennakoon, who was the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Western Province at the time, had two clear opportunities to prevent the attack on the Galle Face protest movement.

Excerpt:

“There were intelligence reports received the day before this attack. However, as the senior-most officer present, he failed to take the necessary action. The suspect has stated that the then Inspector General of Police and the Secretary of Defence instructed not to disperse the group that came to assault the protestors. When statements were being recorded from them regarding the incident, they denied this. The group that came to attack the protestors could have been stopped near the Galle Face roundabout. They could have been stopped near the Taj Samudra Hotel. But that wasn’t done. Instead, they were allowed to proceed and watched passively. Junior officers under his command have said that he instructed them not to suppress the clash until he gave orders. It was only after everything was over that he gave instructions to use water cannons. Even when unarmed civilians approached and said, ‘Sir, they are attacking us,’ he did not take action. He simply watched as around 2,000 armed individuals assaulted a small group of unarmed people. This goes beyond negligence—it is a deliberate act of enabling the perpetrators.”

Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera stated that the suspect consistently attempts to evade the legal process by challenging it at every turn.

Excerpt:

“Your Honour, the Criminal Investigation Department conducted an investigation into this incident. Following that, the Attorney General, after reviewing the investigation files, issued instructions on 2023.04.19 to name him as a suspect in the case. Subsequently, he appealed to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal then issued a restraining order, nullifying the Attorney General’s directive. Afterward, the Attorney General challenged this decision before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court temporarily suspended the restraining order issued by the Court of Appeal and granted an interim injunction. Following this, the suspect submitted a bail application before this court, which Your Honour rejected yesterday. His conduct consistently challenges the law. He does not submit to the legal process but instead tries to maneuver around it. Investigations are still ongoing. Statements are yet to be recorded from the former President and several police officers. The inquiry is still in progress. Given that he is a former Inspector General of Police, there is a possibility that he could interfere with the investigation. Therefore, Your Honour, we respectfully request that the suspect be remanded.”

Attorney-at-law Ajith Pathirana, appearing on behalf of the suspect, stated that the Attorney General’s Department has acted with bias against Deshabandu Tennakoon in relation to this incident.

Excerpt:

“He is the 36th Inspector General of Police in Sri Lanka, with 36 years of service. Your Honour, he has no capacity to exert influence or pressure on witnesses. The reason he needs to be under protection is because of the 'Yukthiya' operation he carried out during his tenure as IGP. He is now simply Deshabandu, a civilian. Therefore, I respectfully request that my client be released on bail under any suitable conditions.

Upon considering the facts, the magistrate inquired about the remaining investigative steps to be carried out.

Responding to this, Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera stated that statements are yet to be recorded from the former President and several police officers.

Taking this into account, the magistrate ordered that statements from the relevant police officers be completed within the coming week.

Subsequently, the suspect, former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, was remanded until August 27.