Probing the Police

Monday, 25 October 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A video showing a Policeman assaulting two motorcyclists in Batticaloa made rounds on social media over the past few days. The video is particular harrowing in the sheer disdain and proclivity to violence shown by the Police officer.

For the record, the men are believed to have been caught for riding their bikes at very high speeds. But regardless of what crime the two men are alleged to have committed, the presence of rule and law in the country mandates that they must be treated with dignity. Instead what was witnessed, and indeed documented for posterity on video, was the Police officer first lashing out with multiple kicks to the spine of one of the men, before punching the same man, who was wearing a helmet, in the head. The officer then turns his attention to the other man and proceeds to take the man’s helmet off before hitting him in the head multiple times as well. The actions of the officer are not only illegal, but needlessly cruel, and serves to only further highlight the (dis)regard they hold for their fellow man.

Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, who was tagged in one of the tweets sharing the video, has since said that the officer in question has been interdicted and that he would be charged for his actions. While the Minister’s swift response to the officer’s behaviour is admirable, there is still more that can be done to address what is a very real, and longstanding, issue in Sri Lanka – Police brutality.

Incidents of Police brutality take place pretty frequently in Sri Lanka. In 2009 Parliament was informed by Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena that during eight months 32 people had died in Police custody, according to an archived article on BBC Sinhala Service. The article goes on to say that 26 people had died in Police custody in 2008. In many instances the deaths were reported as having occurred when suspects were being taken to uncover hidden caches of weapons. The stock in trade Police answer at the time was they were shot while attempting to escape. This excuse was so transparent that at the time it became a running joke in some social circles. Meanwhile, this year alone there have already been several incidents of Police brutality reported and documented.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) says 90% of its torture complaints are against the Police with hundreds of cases being reported each year. In 2015, it was 420 cases, in 2016 450 cases, and in 2017 there were 380 cases.

All this unquestionably points to Police brutality being a systemic problem in Sri Lanka. Police are routinely protected with transfers and other slap-on-the-wrist punishments. For decades the State of Emergency and the Prevention of Terrorism Act provided them with often blanket legal and political protection. The institutionalised impunity was never rolled back despite the conflict ending more than a decade ago.

Minorities, the poor and the disabled are among the most vulnerable due to this continued impunity and lack of sensitisation. While Weerasekara taking prompt action is all well and good, the only way this matter can be addressed in the long-term is with moves to instigate concerted reform of the Police – something must put sensitivity training at the top of the list in terms of priorities.