Police top brass reshuffled following Easter Sunday report

Police Headquarters announced a sudden reshuffle on the police top brass last night where senior most officers in charge of Western Province and the Colombo District were transferred elsewhere with immediate effect, in a bid to support probes prescribed by the recent Presidential Report on Easter Sunday attacks.

The PHQ issuing a statement late last night announced Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Nandana Munasinghe (SDIG) who was in charge of Western Province and Traffic Range had been transferred as SDIG in charge of North Central and North Western Provinces.

The PHQ said, as approved by the National Police Commission (NPC) it had also transferred Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of Colombo District Lalith S. Pathinayake with immediate effect as DIG in charge of Transport and Communications Range. Meanwhile, DIG who was in charge of Western Province North District Deshabandu Tennakoon has been transferred as DIG in charge of Crime/ Criminal Record Division and Community Policing Division.

To fulfill these vacancies Senior DIG who was in charge of North Central and North Western Range Jagath Abeysirigunawardena has been appointed as SDIG in charge of Western Province and Traffic Range. DIG Champika Siriwardena who was in charge of Puttalam District has been summoned as DIG in charge of Colombo District. The NPC has summoned DIG W M R M Welikanna, who was in charge of Transport and Communications Range as DIG in charge of Western Province North District.

Meanwhile, DIG in charge of Kurunegala District Wasantha Kithsiri Jayalath has also been asked to overlook Puttalam District.

Senior DIG Western Province Nandana Munasinghe responding to these unexpected transfers told the Daily Mirror late last night that the PHQ might have taken these decisions to carry out the investigations against nine senior police officers as directed by the Attorney General on the recommendations of ‘Special Board of Inquiry appointed to Inquire into the Easter Attack on April 21, 2019’, unhindered. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)