A 19-year-old student from Dodamgaslande, Kurunegala has been remanded for four months on charges of illegally possessing heroin.
The student, who was studying for the GCE Advanced Level at the Sastharachindra Pirivena College, Polgolla, was on his way to a friend’s house on October 10 when he was stopped by a group in plain clothes and asked for cannabis.
Upon hearing about the incident, which took place about 500 meters from the house, the student’s relatives went to the scene and inquired about the incident. Although the relatives did not accept it and requested the relevant authorities to show them the seized cannabis, the relatives who were present had objected as they had tried to handcuff him without presenting anything.
Gokaral Police Inspector Ratnayake had threatened to shoot him with a pistol while Wickramasinghe had threatened those present at the scene with a sharp knife. The case has been videotaped, exposing the illegal conduct of these officers.
The student was later produced in court on charges of possession of heroin, not marijuana. He has also been charged with possession of 2280 milligrams of heroin, transporting it on a motorcycle and criminally assaulting a police officer. The student has been in remand custody in Kegalle for more than 4 months without being able to obtain bail due to these false allegations.
Relatives of the student have repeatedly requested the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Kurunegala and the Superintendent of Prisons of Kegalle to allow him to sit for the GCE Advanced Level examination in December, but he did not respond.
The National Police Commission (NPC) has launched an investigation into a complaint lodged by the student ‘s relatives.
These officers have been accused of conducting raids without transparency, depriving the arrested student of the opportunity to sit for the GCE Advanced Level examination, which is an important milestone in his life, and of behaving in a defamatory, indecent and oppressive manner.
