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Temperance
Day’s terror cops Quintus Perera, manager of the Ranketha hotel at Kaduruwela in Hingurakgoda, would have been alive, if he had obeyed the orders of four police officers who allegedly wanted him to serve them arrack on World Temperance Day. The incident also highlights how people-unfriendly our police force is though every new IGP, upon assuming office, promises to make the police force a people-friendly one. Amid allegations that the police are trying to coverup the case and mislead investigations, The Sunday Times spoke to witnesses and top police officers to piece together the homicide puzzle. The puzzle was further compounded when we obtained a copy of a note sent by the Kaduruwela police to the hotel manager's family in Kegalle, announcing his death. The note dated October 4 - the day after the incident - claimed that 50-year-old Quintus Perera had suffered a heart attack and died after hospitalisation. But subsequent inquiries based on evidence and eyewitness accounts unfolded a different story. There was no hospitalisation. Polonnaruwa DIG Jayantha Gamage confirmed this when we spoke to him. Did the Kaduruwela police lie? The Kaduruwela police team had also claimed that Mr. Pererea was taken into custody because he was selling liquor in breach of the temperance day ban on alcohol sales. DIG Gamage said the police tried to admit Mr. Perera to the Polonnaruwa hospital, but doctors there refused to admit him. The DIG acknowledged that assault had taken place but did not want to admit that Mr. Perera died due to injuries sustained. Kurunegala's Judicial Medical Officer Dr. S.M.K Senanayake said in his report that Mr. Perera died due to repeated blows he had received on his abdomen. The report said the blows had caused extensive damage to his liver and internal bleeding. We visited the victim's Kegalle residence where his body was lying. Lasantha Neville, Mr. Perera's brother- in -law had this story to tell us. He said Mr. Perera had a cordial relationship with the police. Reserve Sub Inspector Wasantha Perera, who was arrested and remanded in connection with the death of Mr. Perera, was a frequent visitor to the hotel bar, Mr. Neville said. He claimed that the bar was closed on October 3, the day of the incident, on account of World Temperance Day and Mr. Perera and the rest of the bar staff had just returned after a day out when the police party visited the hotel. It was around 10 p.m., Reserve Sub Inspector Perera, Sergeant Dayananda (10637), PC Jagath (20830) and Reserve PC Mahinda (31789) had come to the hotel in civvies and asked the hotel security guard to open the gate. When he refused, he was assaulted, Neville and hotel employees said. They said the police officers from the Kaduruwela anti-vice squad then entered the hotel and asked Mr. Perera to serve them liquor. But Mr. Perera reportedly refused, saying that the bar was closed. The employees said Reserve Sub Inspector Perera then attacked Mr. Perera. "Quintus was crying and pleading. He begged from his attackers not to hit him. 'Ane mata gahanda epa, mama marey" (please don't hit me, I'll die)," one bar attendant said adding that all the workers who were present at the scene were assaulted by the police with batons and bicycle chains. They said some residents who had heard the cries of the hotel workers alerted the Polonnaruwa police. But when a police team from Polonnaruwa came, Reserve SI Perera reportedly told them everything was under control and told them to go. "The police told us to load all the bottles of liquor to their jeep. We were physically weak after the attack to do this task. But we were forced to do it," the bar attendant said. Quintus and three bar attendants, Chaminda, Nalaka and Dayarathne, were taken to the Kaduruwela police and locked up. "Quintus was in pain and when he had asked for water, Reserve SI Perera said, 'Ado, I know karate and I put you down not to make you stand up again'. ‘Water’, was the last word he uttered before he died," Chaminda told us. Herman Quintus Perera was a resident of Kegalle and a father of three. His oldest son Shanaka Perera (19), who is working in a private company is a member of the National Basketball team. His daughter and youngest son are schooling while three of his brothers are working in Italy. Following Mr. Perera’s death, investigations were conducted by Anuradhapura Superintendent P.A Tennakoon. The four officers were arrested and produced before Polonnaruwa Magistrate K. Sivapathasundaram who remanded them till October 21. The new IGP Chandra Fernando said a special team had been appointed to investigate this incident. But the task before the new IGP, who, like his predecessor, pledged to transform the police into a people-friendly force when he assumed office, is to translate his words into action. |
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