By shantha wijesooriya

Balapitiya magistrate R. D. Janaka said that the death of Mahesh Indika Prabath, who was arrested and shot by the Police Special Task Force, was not a self-defense shooting but a deliberate shooting death. Further the Balapitiya Magistrate Janaka ordered to arrest  inspector Kolombage and produce him before the courts. 
Balapitiya magistrate ruled that the suspect’s death was due to multiple injuries to the head, neck, chest and abdomen due to gunshot wounds. The Magistrate ordered the Senior Superintendent of Police Elpitiya that the death of the deceased was not caused by a self-defense shooting by Police Inspector Kolambage hence an investigation should be conducted immediately regarding police Inspector Kolambage who shot Indika Prabath and he should be arrested and presented to the court.

Indika Prabath was arrested by the Police Special Task Force on suspicion of an incident in which a T-56 gun was fired at a few people near RIU Tourist Hotel in Ahungalle

Indika Prabath was arrested on the night of October 12, 2022 at No. 213 Welegedara Belideniya Kottegoda house and was later brought to Ahungalle area. However when he tried to shoot the police officers with a firearm hidden by him. In return when the police officers fired at him in self-defense the suspect Prabath Indika died on the spot. 

 According to the testimony of inspector Kolombage, the deceased was arrested at his house and he was brought to the Ahungalle area to find a firearm. Nothing has been found in the places where the deceased  initially showed up. 

The witness and the officers went near a large rock under the direction of the deceased and saw the suspect kneeling down and examining a pit in the place where the rock and the ground meet.

At that time, the witness was standing two meters behind the deceased and police constable Madura was standing to the left of the deceased while police constable 21470 was standing in front of the deceased.

The witness states that police Inspector Madura was about three meters away from the witness inspector Kolambage.

The witness further said that he saw the deceased taking out a white cover from the pit and subsequently he started shooting with a firearm.

It is stated that when the suspect was shooting, the witness fired one bullet from the pistol in his hand targeting the suspect and due to the shooting the firearm in the suspect’s hand fell down.

It is stated that police constable Renuka came in front of Kolombage and at the same time inspector Kolambage shot targeting the suspect.

Kolambage was standing behind the deceased. It has been stated that the deceased took a firearm from his bag and fired. It is also said that inspector Kolambage shot at the suspect in self-defense at that time.

The doubts that arise here are that if Kolambage fired at the suspect  from behind, the deceased should have received gunshot injuries. But according to the postmortem examination the deceased don’t have any gunshot injuries behind. 

Accordingly, the magistrate focused on the post-mortem report of the deceased.

According to the testimony of the doctor, it is clear that the bullet  fired by the firearm has started above the nose of the deceased and passed through the jaw bone, neck muscles and blood vessels, to the right lung to up to the liver and was found inside the abdominal cavity.

According to the second plaintiff witness Kolomboge, if he shot at the deceased from behind, how the bullet started from the nose and went into the body, there is a clear doubt. It is clear that there were no injuries on the skull or the back of the body of the deceased.

When analyzing the medical report and the trajectory of the bullet that was fired on the deceased, it is clear that Kolambage shot the deceased Indika while he was kneeling, aiming the firearm at his face towards the body.

President’s counsel Anura Maddegoda, attorney at law Buddhika Mallawarachchi and B. Piyanga appeared for the rights of the aggrieved part