Army, Police claim ‘mistaken identity’ while victim insists he was target
The Army and the Police, conducting investigations into the alleged abduction attempt of a local politician in Kolonnawa last Saturday, said that it was a case of ‘mistaken identity’, adding that the men in the van were army officers tracking deserters, but the politico that the men were after him.
Army Spokesman, Brig. Ruwan Wanigasuriya told the Sunday Times that the men in the van belonged to a different unit assisting the Military Police (MP) in rounding up thousands of deserters throughout the country.
“This is because the MP is short of staff and is faced with an uphill task in rounding up deserters,” he said.“however, the MP has conducted an internal inquiry into the Kolonna- wa incident, as there has been a dispute with civilians,” Brig Wanigasuriya said.
“Meanwhile, the police, for their part, have recorded statements from both the van’s occupants and villagers involved in the fracas”, Police spokesman Superintendent (SP) Ajith Rohana said. “Investigations also revealed that no weapons were found in the vehicle or in the possession of the army officers in the van, as claimed by the villagers,” he added.
He said that further investigations were continuing into the incident.
But, Chairman- Kolonnawa Urban Council, Ravindra Udaya Shantha told the Sunday Times that both the military and the police, along with top politicians, were trying to cover up the matter, after their goons were caught red handed.
He alleged that a politician was aiming to harm him over a disputed tender involving scrap iron, adding that, now they were trying to cover up the incident that took place last Saturday.
“The men in the van were armed to the teeth and there was even a brief firefight since I opened fire with my official firearm. I was saved by my supporters who took on the van’s occupants until the police came in,” he said.
He added that his younger brother who was abducted on February 21, remains missing to date, and the socalled police investigations towards this end remains in limbo, while more attempted abductions are made in several parts of the country.
Explaining the incident, he said he was addressing a meeting at a playground when suspicious looking characters arrived in a van and positioned themselves in different locations. “We have been on the alert for such persons since my brother was abducted”, he added.
He said the villagers had ‘detained’ four persons and questioned them, when one of them claimed he had come to play in the grounds. “I immediately called Police Headquarters and the Wellampitiya Police. The local police arrived on the scene and took the four persons into custody. At the Police station they said they were from the army and showed their service identity cards,” he added.
“Villagers had surrounded the police station. After midnight, the villagers were told to disperse. However, DIG Anura Senanayake later visited the station and the army personnel were released,” he said.