By – Shantha wijesooriya

The youth, who was arrested on a complaint filed by a father to the Kosgoda police  demanding that his drug-addicted son be sent for rehabilitation, has died after being brutally beaten by police officers. Doctors at the Balapitiya Base Hospital have told relatives that the young man who was beaten was already dead when he was admitted. Two police officers dressed in civilian clothes broke into the young man’s house, beat him severely with fist and a broomstick and arrested him, and took him in a jeep to the police station. 

The man who died as a result of the police beating is 24-year-old Tharidu Madhushan de Zoysa Siriwardena, a resident of No. 367B Hatharamanhandiya Kosgoda. He did not have a permanent job but ran a betel and tobacco shop owned by his father. Madhushan’s sister told us that he was  hoping to leave the country.

Weerawardena Nimal de Zoysa Siriwardena, the father of Madushan who died in police custody, has filed a complaint with the Kosgoda Police with the aim of getting his son back on the right path. Siriwardena, who was disturbed by the constant reports from his friends and neighbors that his son was using ice, met the Kosgoda OIC and explained the situation his son was facing. The OIC then filed a complaint with the police and asked him to bring a letter from a lawyer. On the advice of the OIC, he met with lawyer Kamal Jayantha and requested him to write a letter to send his son to rehabilitation.

Several people told me that my son was addicted to ice. Later, on May 1 I met the OIC of Kosgoda Police and requested that my son be sent to rehabilitation. Later, the OIC told me to file a police complaint and bring a letter from a lawyer.

I went to Attorney Kamal Jayantha’s house and asked him to give me a letter to send my son to rehabilitation. Later, the lawyer had given the letter to the police. It was about 11 o’clock when the lawyer went to the police. When the lawyer came to the police, I was at the police station. My son was inside the police lockup. When I went near the cell my son said, “Father, I am in trouble, take me to the hospital” When I asked the police officers to take my son to the hospital, they said that there is no problem but he is sick without drugs. 

While I was at home after filing the complaint, two police officers with civil uniform entered the house at around 1 pm and asked where my son was. I said he is inside his room. Later, the police officers entered the room, climbed on top of my son who was on the bed and started to beat him. When I told them not to beat my son and to take him under control, they scolded me  in filth and took my son. Later, they put him in a jeep. They also took me in the jeep. When my son was put in the jeep, my son said he was feeling uncomfortable and asked me to place him in a chair. Later, they dragged my son into the jeep. My son shouted that he was in pain at the police station. While struggling with my son, a police officer took Rs. 7,000 from me for damaging his phone.

Weerawardena Heshani de Zoysa Siriwardena (32) Madhushan’s elder sister

My father went to Kosgoda police station and filed a complaint asking them to send Malli to rehabilitation. Then two police officers in civilian clothes went to Malli’s room. The police said  he was on drugs and climbed on top of him and started to beat him. I couldn’t stand to see my brother being beaten up so I took my daughter and left the house. My mother went inside the room two or three times and told the police officers not to hit my son. Then the police cursed my mother in filth and chased her. My father requested the police sir, don’t hit my son but control him and take him away.

My father asked the police why are you all beating my son. Later my father pleaded with the police not to beat my brother. Later, while he was taken to the police he was handcuffed. My brother told my father he was in pain and asked him to make him sit on a chair. 

My  brother was dragged into the jeep and they took my brother and my father to the police station. While my brother was taken to the police, blood was dripping from his ears.  When my mother took lunch for my brother on that day he has told my mother to take him to the hospital. He told my mother tonight the police will beat and pleaded with my mother to take him away soon.

My brother has screamed in pain the whole night. On the 2 May, when my mother took breakfast to my brother, a police officer called me and asked my brother to speak. When my  brother told me he is getting fits please take me to a hospital the line got disconnected. 

Later, my parents got scared and went to the police station to see my brother. When my mother saw him, my brother was crying and unable to talk. Later, my mother cried, pleading every policeman at the police station to take him to the hospital. The police have casually told them not to get scared that he is sick without drugs. When my brother’s friends went to the police and told the police to take him to the hospital the police chased them saying are you all doctors. Brother’s friends told me sister Madushan is not sick without drugs but he is in pain due to police beating and please take him to a hospital if not his life is in danger. 

The police kept my younger brother at the police station from 7 am on May 1st until 11 am without taking him to a hospital. He was killed like an animal. My mother and father have been forcibly detained near the police lockup. They have not allowed them to go. When I came to know that my younger brother was in trouble, I also went to the police station. The detainees who were with my brother were put in another lockup and brother was alone in a cell. I asked the person who was in the other cell, was my younger brother beaten yesterday? He did not answer and remained silent. When I asked if my younger brother continued to scream, he said that he had screamed until dawn. 

When we asked the police to take him to the hospital, the police said he was sick without drugs. When we went to see my brother in the afternoon, my brother did not talk but was staring at me. My mother, unable to stand anymore, started to cry. When I cried, the police scolded and chased me. When I raised my brother’s hands, it fell down. On May 2 around 11 am, my brother was taken to the Balapitiya General Hospital. The doctors said that my brother was dead when the police brought him to the hospital.

The police beat my brother for swallowing a packet of drugs. The forensic doctor told us that my brother had not swallowed anything. He also said that there was water in his lungs. The medical report also stated that there were external wounds on my brother’s body and bruises inside his body. The police had poured water on him to get the packet of drugs out.

My father requested the Kosgoda police OIC to rehabilitate my brother because he was addicted to ice. We seeked help from the police but they killed my brother. I cannot blame my father because my father sought the police’s support to take care of brother. But those beasts beat my brother to death. They told my mother and father to go to the court. I loudly told the police that Malli was unconscious. Then the police told a man nearby to call my parents from the bus stand. When my parents came to the police station I started to cry, then the police shouted at me saying you should not cry here. Later they took my brother to the Balapitiya hospital. .

The police have forcibly taken 7000 rupees from the father for allegedly breaking the display of a police officer’s phone while he was struggling with my brother at home.

With the succession of the National People’s Power government, the wave of organized crime has increased more rapidly than before. As organized crime groups kill one another, the peace, rule of law and security of the country have become seriously endangered. The underworld gangs and the police have started killing the public in competition. 

Two youths arrested by the Kotahena police were taken away to show weapons and then killed. A youth died in police custody in Wadduwa. There is a doubt that a youth named Nimesh Sathsara died in an assault inside the Welikada police. The Kosgoda police killed Madhushan. The Mathugama police abducted a youth who was hospitalized due to a policeassault. A suspect detained at the Angunukolapelassa Prison in Hambantota has died after an assault.

The National People’s Power government has failed to stop the underworld activities and the police appear to be operating freely without a government. Both the National People’s Power government and the JVP are responsible for all these crimes. The so-called middle class intellectuals are making a futile attempt to hide the crisis of the capitalist system from the public by saying that the NPP/JVP has the power to govern but does not have the power to rule. 

Crimes associated with theft are an inherent feature of the capitalist system. The capitalist system cannot be defeated by bringing new laws against theft and crime or by tightening the punishment system. Theft and crime can be eradicated only by displacing the capitalist system. What is done through reforms is to encourage theft and crime to continue.