President Ranil Wickremesinghe is coming under strong pressure by ruling MPs against granting a service extension for incumbent police chief C.D. Wickramaratne after he retires on March 25.
At the government parliamentary group meeting yesterday (20), Prasanna Ranatunga, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Chinthaka Mayadunne, Sanath Nishantha, Sahan Pradeep, Sanjeewa Edirimanne and Madura Withanage vehemently opposed Wickramaratne’s continuation in the position.
They accused the IGP of not taking any step to curb the uprising that took place on May 09, 2022, and charged him of supporting the protestors instead as their properties were set on fire.
This has been confirmed by the recommendations of the Wasantha Karannagoda committee, they stressed, adding that a service extension for such an official was not possible.
The ruling MPs charged that parties, lawyers and civil society activists who supported the uprising are now campaigning against the appointment of senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon as the successor to Wickramaratne.
Court cases and charges against Tennakoon relate to his moves to curb the protestors who took the law into their own hands, charged the government MPs.
If such an official is not given the post of IGP, no state official will come forward on behalf of the government in the future, they said.
President Wickremesinghe gave them a patient hearing, but said nothing in response.
