Attack on Galle Face protesters: Lawyer seeks order to arrest Deshabandu Tennakoon

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda 

A lawyer has filed a writ petition in Court of Appeal seeking an order directing the CID to arrest Western Province Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon for his failure to prevent attacks on peaceful protesters at Galle Face on May 9.  

Attorney-at-law Ramalingam Ranjan filed this petition naming Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon, IGP Chandana Wickremaratne, CID Director Kavinda Piyasekera as respondents.  
The petition is to be taken up for support today (29) before Court of Appeal.  

The petitioner is further seeking an order in the nature of a Writ of Mandamus to compel the Attorney General and police to make Deshabandu Tennakoon a suspect in the case at Colombo Magistrate’s Court relating to the attacks on peaceful protesters at Galle Face.  

The petitioner states that Deshabandu Tennakoon who was supposed to stop the unruly mob who broke out from Temple Trees had failed to prevent them from entering ‘MynaGoGama’ and ‘GotaGoGama’ and in contrast aided and abetted  the said attacks on the peaceful protestors.  

The petitioner further said Colombo Fort Magistrate on several occasions had reminded the reluctance and the prolonged delay by the CID to carry out their duties diligently on Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon.  
The Magistrate had observed that Deshabandu Tennakoon was having an intimate conversation with Parliamentarian Sanath Nishantha who is the 5th suspect during the time the attack took place.