Four police officers arrested in connection with the Rambukkana shooting incident have been further remanded

The four police officers including former Kegalle SSP K.B. Keerthiratne, who were arrested in connection with the shooting incident during a protest in Rambukkana, have been further remanded until the 20th of May.

The magistrate has called for a medical report from Prisons Commissioner and the medical officer of the prison hospital on the former Kegalle SSP, for his absence in court. The CID was directed to submit all reports pertaining to the incident without delay and ordered to further remand the suspects until May 20.

The former Kegalle SSP was taken into custody by the CID in Colombo on April 28 pursuant to an order issued by the Kegalle Magistrate’s Court on April 27 in respect of the Rambukkana incident. At least 29 individuals including 15 police officers were hospitalized with injuries following the incident while one of the injured protesters had succumbed to injuries shortly after. When the case pertaining to the incident was taken up at Kegalle Magistrate’s Court, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in charge of Kegalle divulged that he gave orders to open fire below the knees of protesters who attempted to set fire to a fuel bowser during the tense situation.

According to him, he had first ordered police personnel to fire in the air when the protesters tried to set fire to a filling station, and later to shoot below the knee to prevent major damage after the protesters attempted to set fire to a fuel bowser.