Alleged assault on villagers: 17 cops transferred

23 June 2013 05:48 am

Seventeen police officers including the acting OIC attached to the Dickwella Police Station have been transferred to the Matara Police station with immediate effect in connection with allegedly assaulting a group of villagers, who were preparing for a Poson Perahera in Kemagoda, Dickwella on Saturday night, police said.

“As we launched a special police investigation into the incident under the supervision of a Superintendent of Police, steps have been taken to the transfer them from the Dickwella police,” Police Spokesman SP Buddhika Siriwardane told Daily Mirror online.

Initial reports stated that three villagers were hospitalized due to the alleged assault on the villagers.

Following the incident, people of the area and some local politicians launched a demonstration blocking the Matara-Tissamaharama main road, causing heavy traffic in the area. (Sanath Desmond)