Police ready to face election violence

28 January 2011 11:00 am Views - 3077

The Police Department has set up an elections desk headed by senior DIG Gamini Navaratne to monitor the Local Government elections and take the necessary action against election violence. Laborers and policemen are to be deployed to the purpose of removing elections propaganda material when the need arise.

Additional laborers would be recruited if there is any shortage of man power.

 Each police station has a separate elections monitoring desk under a police officer and they will take the necessary action when they get a complaint, police media spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said. 

 “We as the police have advised all the relevant parties to prevent violent incidents from occurring and advise their supporters not to engage in violating the prevailing election laws”, he said. 
 
The police have deployed mobile road blocks, additional police patrols and extra policemen to areas that have been identified as hot spots where government and the opposition have a strong presence. 

The Police Elections Desk has so far received only the Kahawatta clash which was reported on Thursday, he added.

Two persons were injured including an independent candidate when gun shots were fired in Endaana in Kahawatta when a clash broke out between a group of UPFA supporters led by Deputy Minister of Power and Energy Premalal Jayasekara and a group led by an independent candidate contesting from Kahawatta for the upcoming local Government Elections. (Supun Dias)