Medawachchiya OIC remanded over lorry driver losing testicle after assault

By Upali Ananda

The OIC of the Anti-Vice Unit of the Medawachchiya police, who had been arrested by the CID for allegedly assaulting a young truck driver and which resulted in a surgery to remove his testicle, was produced before the Medawachchiya Magistrate Nimesha Dharmadasa and remanded till May 15.

The magistrate ordered the Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent to produce the suspect for an identification parade on that date. His counsel, Attorney-at-Law Sajeewa Gunaratne’s request to cancel the identification parade was rejected.

Attorney-at-Law Bhagya Sri Herath moved for release on bail, subject to any conditions, the two sergeants Rohana Samantha Senanayaka and S. Kapila Jagath Seneviratne of the traffic branch of the Medawachchiya police who had been remanded over the same incident.

However, the magistrate, who refused the lawyer’s request, further remanded them till May 15.

The CID told court that three more police officers suspected of involvement in the incident were to be arrested and that they were currently attached to the Padaviya and Kebitigollewa police on transfer. The CID investigators informed court that the OICs of these police stations have been informed to surrender the two suspects to the CID.

A team of CID investigators made submissions for the state on the instructions of the DIG in Charge of the CID, Rohana Premaratne.

Vice President of the Anuradhapura Branch of the Sri Lanka Bar Association Chatura Dhananjaya and Attorney-at-Law Sanduni Jayatilaka functioned as observers on the instructions of President of the Sri Lanka Bar Association, President’s Counsel Kaushalya Navaratne and Vice President Nalinda Indratissa.

Attorney-at-Law Aravinda Habakkala and Attorney-at-Law Danushka Dantanarayana watched over the interests of the aggrieved party.