A fisherman from Rekawa East, Tangalle, has accused police officers of assaulting him after he refused to bow down and apologize to a neighbor during a dispute.
The victim, identified as Koku Hannedige Prabath Priyantha, a resident of Pokunu Goda, Netolpitiya, Rekawa East, alleges that on August 2, three officers from the Hungama Police Station forcibly entered his home, dragged him outside, and demanded that he apologize to a neighboring woman in public. When he refused, the officers allegedly beat him with a stick, causing injuries to his leg and back.
According to Priyantha, the conflict began when a woman living next to his house repeatedly dumped and burned garbage on his land, despite several warnings not to do so. On the afternoon of August 2, after she once again set fire to garbage on his property, he confronted her angrily before returning home.
Later that evening, around 5 p.m., police officers allegedly broke into his house through the back door, arrested him, and forced him outside in front of his neighbor’s home. When Priyantha declined to apologize, he claims the officers verbally abused him with obscene language, threatened to frame him with drugs, and then beat him until he collapsed unconscious.
He was later admitted to Tangalle Base Hospital for residential treatment following the assault. In a statement to the hospital police, Priyantha detailed the incident and reported that he was summoned to the Tangalle Police’s miscellaneous complaints division on August 6.
Priyantha further alleged that during this meeting, the OIC suggested he should “save it from the pile,” implying that he should not pursue further action. When Priyantha questioned how he could overlook such an incident, the OIC reportedly responded that he could not take action against fellow police officers.
Priyantha, a married father of two whose children live separately and whose wife is employed abroad, continues to demand justice for the alleged assault.
