I was undressed and beaten thoroughly ....

I was undressed and beaten thoroughly ....

not asking whether I did the crime

I was asked how I did it

- 17 year old student says

An extensive dialogue has by now emerged within the society in relation to the injustice caused to the
17 year old schoolboy as well as the father of one child in connection with the Seya Sandewmini murder of Kotadeniyawa.

The 17 year old schoolboy had this to say: "After the final rites of Seya's funeral was performed, the Kotadeniyawa Police came to our house. At that time I was in my room. The police officers had told my mother that they wanted to speak to me. So saying they came to my room with my mother. After coming to the room while asking details about me they had a look at my laptop. It was after that they asked me to come to the police station and took me away. But they didn't escort me to the police station. What I believe is that it was a police quarters. After taking me I was told that the other person who was arrested revealed all the truth at Peliyagoda and for me also to tell the truth. Even after saying so I didn't speak.

The place they took me to, looked like a room. After taking me there all my clothes were removed and in that nude state I was thoroughly beaten up. They beat me up by saying 'it was you who killed Seya .... so admit it'. They even took nude photographs of me. After that both my arms were kept behind and was tied up and hanged on a beam and then assaulted. It was on the following day that I was brought to the police station. When I said that I was not connected to this I was slapped on both cheeks. Later I was hit with something like a long iron chip. I was taken away saying that there were lewd films in my

laptop. After taking me away it was not whether I did that crime they asked.... but to tell them how I did it, which they kept on asking.

I had shared a photo of Seya which was on Facebook, with my friends. After Seya died somebody had tagged it on to my Page. Showing it, the police kept on asking me as to why I kept Seya's photo with me. When I said that it was shared on Facebook they were unable to understand what I said. I worshipped the police personnel and said that I was not involved in this. They didn't accept it. Later I was questioned by the CID also. During these 16 days it was only two or three days that I was allowed to meet my mother. But didn't allow to talk much. On the first day we were called to courts and I and Kelum Aiya who were remanded were kept in the same place. It was only a few hours before he was brought to courts that I managed to see him".

The schoolboy's mother, Pushpa Sriyani expressed her ideas this way: "My son was taken away without saying anything. The boy who was to write for the Advanced Level next year was spoken of as a sort of criminal by the police. People of the village also looked at us like looking at criminals. It was by giving tuition to small children in the village that I brought up this child. The life of a child who was brought up like that was destroyed by this work of the police. It is now a fear that I have as to what son's future would be like. I knew that my son would not commit a wrong act like this. But what I wanted was to tell the whole world about this and set the child free".

The 17 year old schoolboy and Kelum the father with one child had said that they would call a media briefing in the future and reveal the complete truth about the injustice done.