100 Govt. MPs submit letter to Prez calling for probe into Riyaj Bathiudeen’s release

A group of over 100 Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs today handed over letters to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa calling for an investigation into the release of Riyaj Bathiudeen. 

In the letter, the MPs said Riyaj, the brother of MP Rishad Bathiudeen, was arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks and released by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in an arbitrary manner.

Rijyaj Bathiudeen was arrested by the CID on April 14 on charges of aiding and abetting the terrorists involved in the Easter Sunday attacks. 

The MPs said there is strong evidence against Rijyaj though he was released by the CID on September 30 without even being produced in the courts.

According to the Prime Minister's Media Division, the MPs called for an investigation into the release of Riyaj and to re-arrest him.

Some of the signatories were Nimal Siripala De Silva, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Janaka Wakkumbura, D.V.Chanaka, Sisira Jayakodi, S.Viyalendran, Shehan Semasinghe, Kanaka Herath, Dilum Amunugama, Susil Premajayantha, Mohamed Muzammil, Udaya Gammanpila, Angajan Ramanathan, Kader Masthan, Wimal Weerawansa, Sarath Weerasekara and Sudarshani Fernandopulle. (Lahiru Pothmulla)