A senior nurse attached to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, saying she was verbally abused, harrassed and detained by the police for more than five hours – all because of an error on her national identity card issued by the Registration of Persons Department.
 |
| Sriyani Karunaratne |
Sriyani Mangalika Karunaratne, a resident of Weerakoon Gardens, Kandy, was born on 03.06.1960 and possesses an authentic National Identity Card bearing number 601550660V.
Recently, she was stopped and arrested by police officers at a checkpoint on the Katugastota Road, Kandy near the Rahula College grounds.
The police claimed Ms. Karunaratne was carrying a forged identity card, pointing out that the serial number on the card should rightly belong to a male.
The Registration of Persons Department has subsequently admitted to making an error in the number given on Ms. Karunaratne’s identity card.In her complaint lodged with the Human Rights Council, Sriyani Mangalika claims she was humiliated by the police and described as “a female terrorist”.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Council has requested an inquiry and a report relating to Ms. Karunaratne’s ID card from the Registration of Persons Department.
A. G. Dharmadasa, Commissioner General, Registration of Persons Department, told The Sunday Times that the error had originated at the department, but since the card was issued more than 11 years ago, it was not possible to take disciplinary action against the officers responsible for the error.
 |
| NIC of Sriyani Karunaratne |
Explaining the Department’s ID serial numbering system, Mr. Dharmadasa said the first two digits referred to the owner’s year of birth, and the next three digits the month and day. In the case of males, the figure starts from zero, and for females 500 is added to the year.
For example, a male born on 01-01-1983 would have an ID card number that started with the digits “83”, followed by 001 (83001).
A female born on the same date would have a serial number that would read: “83501”. The first five digits help identify whether the NIC holder is male or female.
“The department had issued to Ms. Karunaratne an ID card bearing a male number,” Mr. Dharmadasa said. He declined to elaborate on the security features of the NID.
Katugastota Police Station OIC, S. Diyakelinawela, told The Sunday Times the nurse was arrested by a woman police constable, who had then brought the complainant to the police station on suspicion.
The complainant was later released after the police had verified the authenticity of her ID card, the OIC said.
The nurse claims the woman police officer had humiliated, and that other policemen manning the checkpoint had relayed information that a “terrorist suspect in a nurse’s uniform had been arrested”. | 
E-mail