16 December 2019 08:18 pm Views - 3239
United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said today there was no legal provision to have abducted the family members of the former driver of MP Champika Ranawaka.
“Investigations into the accident involving MP Ranawaka concluded years ago and cannot be reopened,” he told a news conference, adding that this incident reflected that the Rajapaksa Government was hell-bent on taking political revenge.
"This government came to power with the promise of ensuring there will be no political victimisation and repression. If our 'Yahapalanaya’ Government had taken revenge during the past five years, there would be none left to form this government. The failure to take legal action helped these ministers to hold top positions in the present administration," he said.
Addressing the media, he said in connection with the accident that took place in 2016 in Rajagiriya, several police officers had visited the residence of MP Ranawaka’s former driver at Imaduwa in Galle and forcibly transported his wife, one and a half-year-old child and grandmother to a location in close proximity to the parliamentarian’s house at Battaramulla.
"The driver's family had been abducted at 12.45 last morning and locked up in a vehicle till dawn. As the UNP General Secretary said the government is in an attempt to suppress the opposition by preventing them from contesting the general elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Minister Ajith P. Perera said abductions like this took place only during the stone age and therefore the present law could not cover them.
"No notice or court order had been issued to the former minister, his former driver and to his family to report to the police station to record a statement. MP Ranawaka and his former driver are ready to make statements in this regard to any law enforcement authority," he said.
Former Ministers Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Ajith P. Perera, Ashu Marasinghe, Chandrani Bandara, S.M. Marikkar, Dr. Harsha de Silva, Eran Wickramaratne and Karunarathna Paranavithana were present at the press briefing. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)
Pix by Chathura S Kodikara