Man protests on street lamp post

An individual with a bottle of petrol and a lighter in hand staged a protest on a street lamp post accusing the police of smashing his cellular phone and assaulting him and wanted to set fire to his body if action was not taken against the injustice caused to him.

He was a 34-year-old resident of Godaparagahahena in Kalutara South, popularly known as “Maruwa”.

However the police said he was secretly taking photos of women during a musical show held in the Kalutara public grounds and that one of the women had had an altercation with him over the indecent act. Police said he had dashed his cellular phone on the floor and smashed it himself to prevent evidence against him.

Police had called the Kalutara Fire Brigade and the Ceylon Electricity Broad officials to the scene. He climbed down the street lamp post on the request of Ven. Magalkande Sudaththa Thera who later produced him before the Kalutara Division SP Upul Nilmini Ariyaratne.