In a significant development following the Narammala police shooting incident, the widow of the deceased carpenter, Roshan Kumarasiri, has filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court. Seeking compensation of Rs. 200 million from the involved police officers, including Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, the petitioner, Kamani Rupika Priyangani, alleges arbitrary and abusive exercise of power by the law enforcement officials.
The tragic incident unfolded as Sub Inspector Gunawardena, on duty in plain clothes, fatally shot Roshan Kumarasiri on his way home from work. In the filed petition, Priyangani recounts her marriage to Kumarasiri in 2007 and highlights their three children, including twin daughters aged 16, preparing for the upcoming G.C.E. (O/L) Examinations, and a son in Grade three.
Priyangani accuses Sub Inspector Gunawardena and Police Constable Chamuditha Bandara Kulasekara, the first and second respondents, of acting arbitrarily and abusing their powers during the ‘Yukthiya Operation.’ She further asserts that the OIC of the Narammala Police Station, Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and the State permitted these actions in violation of applicable laws and procedural guidelines.
Additionally, the petitioner claims that Acting IGP Tennakoon visited her residence post-incident and presented a cheque worth one million rupees. Despite this, Priyangani is pursuing the compensation petition and seeking a declaration from the court that her late husband’s fundamental rights, as guaranteed by the Constitution, were violated by the respondents and the State.
The petition, filed through Attorney-at-law Sunil Watagala, sheds light on the alleged misconduct during the ‘Yukthiya Operation’ and underscores the demand for justice and accountability in the tragic shooting incident. The Supreme Court will now play a pivotal role in adjudicating this case and addressing the concerns raised by the grieving widow.
