By shantha wijesooriya

Senior DIG and lawyer Waruna Jayasundara, who was the commander of the Police Special Task Force (STF), has been removed from his position and appointed as the DIG in charge of the Eastern Province.

With the approval of the Police Commission, not only Senior DIG Waruna Jayasundara but also five senior and DIGs have been transferred.

DIG D.P. Chandana Silva, who was in charge of the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts, was appointed as the Commander of the Police Special Task Force with effect from 12 February. S.D. Weerasekara was appointed as the DIG in charge of the Mullaitivu district in his place. Senior DIG and lawyer Ajith Rohana, who was in charge of the Eastern province, has been appointed as the DIG in charge of the North Western Province, while the Senior DIG in charge of the North Western Province has been appointed as the DIG in charge of the Southern Province. Senior DIG W.K. Jayalath, who was in charge of the Southern province, has been appointed as the DIG in charge of the Uva Province.

Waruna Jayasundara served as the head of the Police Special Task Force (STF) for about four years, during which time he supported the inhumane killing of about 15 people, branding them as organized criminals or hired killers, without even considering the limits of the capitalist law. 17 cases are pending in court against the Police Special Task Force (STF) for violating human rights by killing, abductions and inhumanely torturing young people who were misled by the capitalist system not in a way killing dogs and cats. The capitalist media had expressed their displeasure at the removal of DIG Waruna Jayasundara from the position, describing his execution as heroic.

Pressure on the President

Waruna Jayasundara and several senior military officers confronted President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Security Council and demanded the President to remove all 17 human rights abuse cases filed against the Special Task Force (STF) in order to crack down on organized criminal gangs. Jayasundara’s request was not a request but a bargaining chip. They threatened the President that they would not engage in combating activities unless the cases filed against the STF killers were dropped. In response to that request, the Attorney General, on the President’s instructions, closed the cases filed against the STF in the Balapitiya Magistrate’s Court. A few weeks later, the Attorney General also closed the case pending in the Welisara Magistrate’s Court for the killing of 11 inmates and prisoners at the Mahara Prison.

The Attorney General screwed himself when he tried to tried to release Premananda Udalagama who kidnapped and threatened journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga’s driver while he was returning from the CID, Hettiarachchige Don Tissasiri Sugathapala and Vitharana Arachchige Sirimevan Prasanna Nanayakkara, who were arrested for misplacing journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga’s diary and other documents, saying there was insufficient evidence to file charges.

Following the protest held opposite to the Attorney General’s Office on January 6, a group of journalists and civil society went to the Attorney General’s office to hand over a letter demanding a clear answer, an officer there made a sly remark saying “you all can clear matters by going to the courts” That same evening, the President had summoned the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice for a discussion, and the next day, the Attorney General’s Office issued a hasty press release fearing public protest. The press release concluded as follows:”There is no obstacle to considering the acquittal and the filing of criminal charges based on the disclosure of new evidence”

The Attorney General was able to close the cases pending in the Mahara and Balapitiya Magistrates’ Courts only because the people failed to incite a strong public outcry. Although the Lanka Sky News website organized a protest in front of the Balapitiya Magistrate’s Court on several occasions, the effort failed due to the lack of interest of social activists in the issue and the deceased Indika Prabath’s relatives were in fear of Jayasundara.

Indika Prabath was killed on the demand of the underworld

Katuwanagam Arachchige Mahesh Indika Prabath alias Embilipitiya Podi Indika who lived in No-213 Welegedara Belideniya Kottegoda was arrested by the Police Special Task Force on the night of October 12, 2022, while he was at his house. The Police Special Task Force soldiers had tied Indika Prabath’s hands behind his back, handcuffed him and brutally assaulted him. Indika Prabath was made to listen to a call from a soldier who had assaulted him. His facial expression had changed drastically, Prabath’s wife Piyumi Watsala told us.

Reports confirm Indika Prabhat was arrested by the Police Special Task Force on a contract given by Welioya Priyantha. Indika Prabath’s wife told us that a few days before the Special Task Force killed him, Welioya Priyantha had threatened to kill Indika Prabath over the phone. Indika Prabath and Welioya Priyantha are defendants in a case filed in the Negombo court regarding a robbery incident. He was arrested in connection with a shooting incident that took place in front of the RAW Tourist Hotel in Ahungalla on October 12, 2002. That night, he was taken into custody and taken to Ahungalle citing to show weapons. His knee joints, limbs and fingers were broken using a S-lon tube, bent to the opposite direction, tortured and shot in the forehead before being killed.

Indika Prabhat was arrested on 12 October night 2022, when DIG Waruna Jayasundara Kottegeda visited her house, Piumi Vatsala testified before the court. A case was filed by the police under case number AR 2049/22 in the Balapitiya Magistrate’s Court regarding the murder of Indika Prabath. The Special Task Force soldiers say that the deceased was shot in self-defense when he tried to shoot the Special Force soldiers with a gun which was hidden by him.  The story of the man who tried to shoot the police while his fingers and knees were broken, his hands were tied behind his back and he was handcuffed, is an impossible scenario that can only be seen in a movie.

The Balapitiya Magistrate, after examining the medical examiner and other witnesses, ruled that the death of the deceased was not a self-defense shooting but a deliberate act. Accordingly, he ordered the Galle Senior Superintendent of Police, Elpitiya, to immediately arrest the second witness in the complaint, Police Inspector Lakshman Amaratunga Don Colombage, and produce him before the court. The bullet was found to have originated above the deceased’s nose, passed through the clavicle, and was found in the abdominal cavity. Furthermore, according to the medical report, it has been confirmed that there was no exit wound. The medical report also states that the skin and hair on the forehead were burnt due to the automatic pistol being fired closer to the forehead.

Police defame the judiciary

Balapitiya Magistrate R.D. Janaka ordered the arrest of STF Police Inspector Colombage, the murderer of Indika Prabath, on July 9, 2024. The police, who were waiting for five months, did not take action to arrest STF police inspector Kolombage and produce him before the court until the Magistrate ordered the Attorney General to close the case. The Magistrate remained silent while the police defamed the dignity of the court. The Attorney General’s order was challenged, and since the Magistrate did not receive support from the public, he automatically submitted to the Attorney General’s order. STF commander Waruna Jayasundara challenged the court order and prevented Kolombage from being arrested and produced before the court.  However, Lanka Sky News  requested the Galle Magistrate to arrest Galle SSP Elpitiya for contempt of court for not arresting Police Inspector Kolombage and produce him in court. However this is another incident that shows that not everyone is equal before the law of capitalism.

STF brutality

Dilantha Lakmal Rajapaksa was abducted and shot dead while sleeping at his home in Padukka, Meeriyagalle on March 9, 2004. Lakmal’s father told us that he was abducted by members of the Police Special Task Force. He is an airman and served in the Air Force Rugby Squad. He is thirty-three years old and unmarried.

Dilantha Rajapaksa

The Special Task Force (STF) killed Lakmal on suspicion that he had aided and abetted the murder of Rupasinghe Arachchige Nayananda and Wasantha Perera, who were travelling in a three-wheeler through the Malosa Junction in Moragahahena.  The police say that this murder was committed by someone whom the police call an underworld leader and that Lakmal is one of his close associates.

However Lakmal’s uncle is a former strongman of the STF 10 team, and Lakmal’s younger brother is attached to the STF. Wasantha and Nayananda were killed on March 7, and Lakmal was abducted and killed in the early hours of March 8 on suspicion of being involved in the murder of the two. After Lakmal was arrested on suspicion and found to be innocent, the court had the power to punish him, not Waruna Jayasundaras.

Meanwhile another two people were shot dead in a red three-wheeler in front of the Moragahahena Laugh Gas Station on March 23. The victims were identified as Suraj Prabodha Adihetti alias Mattegoda Suda and Imesh Madhushan Darshana alias Appa. The police have not said why they were killed. They were abducted while travelling in a three-wheeler, tortured, shot and taken near the Moragahahena Laughing Gas Station. Their bodies were covered in mud and they were killed by a gunshot to the head.

Suraj Prabdha

The feud between the underworld kings and STF commander Waruna Jayasundara is revealed.

While traveling in a three-wheeler in Ahungalla, Karawala Wadi, Ranga was caught with a machete while checking his three-wheeler at a roadblock in that area. A long-running argument has taken place between Madhusanka of the Special Task Force who conducted the search and Karawala Wadi Ranga.  Karawala Wadi Ranga is a relative of Ranga’s family who is a closest aide of Kosgoda Suji, whom the police call an underworld leader. Following this Kosgoda Suji has told STF Senior DIG Jayasundara about this and the STF DIG Waruna Jayasundara has ordered Madushanka to go to Karawala Wadi Rangas house and  apologize.
This incident took place on November 22, 2022.

Imesh Madushsn

Later, Madusanka, along with DIG Vidura Dissanayake, ASP Kumara and the OIC of Ahungalla police went to Ranga’s house in Karawala Wadi. There, Waruna Jayasundara, Ranga and Kosgoda Suji were in touch via Whatsapp, and Waruna Jayasundara had ordered Madusanka to apologize to Karawala Wadi Ranga. According to the Saliya YouTube channel when this incident happened DIG Dissanayake and ASP Kumara remained silent, while only the OIC of Ahungalla Police had protested saying not to apologize to the underworld.

The capitalist society has become so rotten that it has brought human society to the brink of destruction. Stealing, looting, theft, murder for money and scoundrels are its culture. The law is the protector of that culture. A man in the capitalist class is a man and has no other relationship than naked selfishness and ruthless payment. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx stated that in place of the countless, inalienable, privileged freedoms, the only freedom that conscience cannot agree on anywhere is the freedom of trade, which is established.

In a social system where conscience cannot agree with freedom of trade, theft, robbery, and scoundrels are its inevitable results. Apart from overthrowing the hegemony of capital, theft, robbery, plunder or the emergence of hired killers cannot be abolished. There is no other solution for capitalist society than to create new contradictions by using capitalist forces to stop these actions.