The supreme court has been told how the now acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon had tortured four arrested suspects 13 years ago.
Petitioner Ranjith Sumangala, a former Army man, in his submissions to courts, described how Tennakoon stripped them, lined them up and lashed them with a rubber belt.
They were made to apply ‘Siddhalepa’ balm on their genital parts, while the beating continued.
Tennakoon, SP in charge of Nugegoda division at the time, stopped to answer a telephone call, and ordered other policemen to keep the four as they were and left.
One officer told them that his superior normally did not assault suspects, and that it was their unlucky day.
Sumangala also said they were left with no food or water for one day during their detention.
He said he was arrested on 18 December 2010.
In its ruling yesterday (14), the three-judges panel decided the veracity of the allegations from sworn affidavits of the victims and the JMO report and found statements of the respondents to be contradictory.
It determined the petitioner’s fundamental rights had been violated and ordered Tennakoon, Bhathiya Jayasinghe and Bandara of Mirihana police and a retired Army man Ajith Wanasundara to pay compensation of Rs. 500,000 each personally.
The state too, was ordered to pay Rs. 100,000.
Copies of the verdict have been sent to the National Police Commission and the attorney general for disciplinary action against Tennakoon and the two other policemen.
