Police Officer who assaulted a lorry driver remanded till April 5

The Police Officer who assaulted a lorry driver in Pannipitiya on March 29 has been today ordered to be remanded till April 5 by Gangodavila Magistrate’s Court.

When the case was taken up before Gangodavila Magistrate’s Court, the driver who was also arrested on charges of reckless driving was ordered to be released on bail.

Accordingly, the Magistrate released the suspect on Rs. 100, 000 surety bail. Meanwhile, the driver's license of the lorry driver has been suspended by the Court. A video of a police officer on duty brutally assaulting a man on a road in the Pannipitiya area has circulated on social media on March 29 and the Police had commenced investigation into the matter.

According to the inquiry, it was revealed that the Police Officer who was assaulting the lorry driver was attached to the Traffic Division of the Maharagama Police.

Investigations also revealed that the OIC of the Maharagama Police Traffic Division who was on duty on the road at the time had been hit by a lorry due to careless driving. The injured OIC is currently receiving treatment at the Accident Unit of the Kalubowila Hospital. (Yoshitha Perera)