POLICE AND POLITICAL : HORROR & TERROR
A TIP OF THE ICEBERG
This is indeed not a storyline for a movie. Nor are they notes for a piece of fiction we intend to publish in the future. It is rather a horror story, a story of terror, a story of fear, a story about the extent and depth to which subservience stretches to, a story about the callous disregard for human dignity supported and encouraged by those in power and looked on and hushed up by the Police - the only place where the poor go to seek justice. It is indeed a horror story that needs to be heard first hand because it is beyond imagination that terror to the extent that existed in Deraniyagala and specifically Noori was in fact a reality. That people suffered for over a decade due to the brutal atrocities of a gang with political backing, atrocities that went to the extent of a gang operating a “rape centre”, and a torture chamber with no regard to consequences, is a tad bit ‘unreal’ in modern-day Sri Lanka.
Noori, a scenic village situated 14 km off Deraniyagala is a three-hour drive from Colombo. It is by no means “remote” nor is it a village that is ‘cut off’ from the external world. The roads to the village and beyond it are developed and so is the infrastructure. Noori however is famous for its tea. The Noori Estate however was the focal point of the village. Noori tea is considered to be among the best in the world. The village comprises schools, a temple and a kovil with both genres of economic strata- the middle class and the poor class mingling with each other as is common in the entire country
The terror unleashed was however common to all. The majority poor Tamils worked as slaves of the alleged criminals while the middle classes were forced to part with their belongings including houses they had built, as and when they were ‘asked to’.
Atha Kota also known as Anil Champika Wijesinghe, the former Chairman of the Deraniyagala Pradeshiya Sabha was recognised as a ‘leader’ due to his thuggery. Having lost
Accordingly he became an ardent supporter of both the Chief Minister of the Sabaragamuwa Province Maheepala Herath and current Deputy Minister of Livestock and Community H.R. Mithrapala before falling out with the latter and sticking on to the former
one of his arms after falling off a swing when he was six years old, Wijesinghe gradually built a group of ‘gangsters’ who aided and abetted him.
His entire family were the main providers of ‘Kasippu’( moonshine) to the area. The rise in profits earned through the sale of illicit liquor that increased concurrently with power ‘Atha kota’ graduated into political thuggery.
Accordingly he said to have become an ardent supporter of both the Chief Minister of the Sabaragamuwa Province Maheepala Herath and current Deputy Minister of Livestock and Community H.R. Mithrapala before falling out with the latter and sticking on to the former.
All villagers who randomly spoke to the Daily Mirror maintained throughout that Wijesinghe’s alleged terror reign was both passively and actively supported by Herath and his son, current Member of Parliament Kanaka Herath.
The extent of the ‘connections’ are a story for another day. So is the ‘support; rendered by the police to their ‘political masters’.
The villagers, until the intervention of the Special Task Force, consequent to the brutal murder of the Estate Superintendent Nihal Perera, constantly lived in fear.
“We would not even think of Atha kota alone in a room where there was no light. That was the extent of their terror” they told us.
Perera stood his ground against them and ultimately paid the price for it. Atha kota and his gang with no fear of repercussions looted the estate’s wealth for years and Perera stood up against it. All estate superintendents who were on duty in the estate previously also paid subservience to the terror- not out of choice but due to the lack of an alternative.
Perera was one of the four remaining planters who worked with the British and was appointed as superintendent in January 2013.
From there on he took it upon himself to ensure the safety of the estate, the workers and the village as a whole.
“He was like a god to us, and there was a ray of hope when he stood up against these people ” H . D. Keethirathne a villager said.
“He wouldn’t give in to them; he was a man of the old generation and was a wealth of knowledge. He taught us everything that we needed to learn and he tried to make peace with the gangsters and the people” Sumudu Nilanka the supervisor of the factory said.
A month before the brutal murder, Atha kota and his gang served their ‘first notice’ by way of brutally assaulting him.
“They thought he would leave the place after that but he didn’t. He came back to work” he said.
The police who were notified and had been repeatedly notified by villagers for over a decade turned a blind eye as was the norm.
A month later, Perera was chopped, stabbed, and assaulted while he was doing his morning rounds by a gang led by a relative of Atha kota.
“A worker came and told me that they were stabbing him and I ran down. All we could do was watch, he was on the floor and they were brutal-
a gang with political backing, atrocities that went to the extent of the gang operating a “rape centre”, and a torture chamber with no regard to consequences, is a tad bit ‘unreal’ in modern-day Sri Lanka.
ly assaulting him. He kept asking them ‘why are you doing this to me? I didn’t do you’ll any wrong but they continued with the beating” Sumudu recalls.
The two security personnel given by the company to Perera were also assaulted and were thereafter dragged into the jeep used by Perera. The criminals had snatched off the phones of the supervisor and his superior before they drove off with the bleeding trio.
“They were alive when they dragged them into the jeep and then they took off. Most of them got into the vehicle.”
Accordingly Perera and the two security officers were stripped naked and takearound town. Villagers said that the criminals had paraded the naked and bleeding superintendent.
“This is what we did to him” they had screamed.
Sanjay Waidyathilake a senior officer of the factory said around half an hour later they heard that the vehicle was brought to the estate.
“We ran to the bungalow and the Superintendent was at the back of the jeep naked and bleeding. He asked us for water, we lifted him and put him on to a bed. We were frightened for our lives too and we delayed in taking him to the hospital because we thought they might attack us if we went in the same vehicle. We went to the town to look for a vehicle and no one was willing to give us a vehicle because they also feared reprisal” Sanjay said.
However, they had decided to brave all fears and take the injured to hospital.
“He was bleeding from his mouth and leg, we were later told that his mouth was cut with a pair of scissors by the barber in town” they
They were alive when they dragged them into the jeep and then they took off. Most of them got into the vehicle
said.
“The Police knew this - they worked hand in glove with these people. Even after he was assaulted the first time they did nothing. Even when this happened we called them and they did nothing,” they said.
The death provided the catalyst for the interference of the Special Task Force who immediately arrested the situation.
“With his death we were given life. After the Special Task Force (STF) came in everything was brought under control. We had no faith in anything, all of us just lived in ultimate fear until they came in. we have to thank the gods for this. We want a camp of the STF here for at least five years as we don’t have any faith in the Police” U. Padmakumara said.
The stories are only a tiny spec of what actually took place over the decade. Many still live in fear of a return of Atha kota. Many also fear that the Chief Minister, his associates, or the Police would one day come after them for speaking out.
Victims of rape aren’t willing to give details fearing social consequences, and victims of torture fear a return to the dark ages. However, they have hope that justice would prevail although all hope is lost in the system as whole.
“I only asked god for this, we had no hope because all of these people worked together. The entire Police divisions in the region were aware of this, and it wasn’t confined to the Deraniyagala Police” the villagers said.