Gunshots fired at Moratuwa house of chief witness of Welikada mass-killing

Gunshots fired at Moratuwa house of chief witness of Welikada mass-killing

The house down Purannappu Raja Mawatha, Moratuwa where Mr. Nandimal, the chief witness in the incident where 27 inmates of Welikada Prisons were killed during 2012 Rajapaksa regime was shot at around 11 in the night yesterday. He had attended a police CID investigation during daytime and this said incident has taken place in the night.

The Sri Lanka Human Rights Centre has made a request that the main witness of Welikada killing be

provided security for his life and to arrest suspected police officers presently in service and to conduct inquiries. There had been an attempt on his life before this and the petition forwarded to the 'Criminal Investigation Department' and the complaint was yesterday (5) inquired into at the police unit for the safety of those testifying to which Nandalal had been present and it was when he was in bed that this shooting has taken place.

A group of security officers who brought a list of names had made some selected prisoners to kneel down and had shot them on the head and killed on orders of a certain high-ranking officer at Welikada Prisons on November 11th, 2012. A crowd who were eye-witnesses to this incident had told this to their lawyers and relatives. Mr. Nandalal happens to be a main witness of this incident. Civil organizations and the media began to reveal information about this at a stretch. Mr. Nandalal had been involved in newspaper discussions, organising protests, providing testimonies to security units and had revealed even names and addresses of those linked to this particular incident.

Nandalal who was served the vacation of service notice by the Sri Lankan Railway was reinstated recently. He was initially transferred to Kandy by Chief Engineer of Railways, Nilantha Fernando. As there was suspicion that a plan had been drawn to assasinate him in Kandy, he did not report for duties. A railway officer has threatened him saying, "Our Secretary of Defence (Gotabhaya Rajapaksa) is trying to send you to jail. What does it matter to you if prisoners die?" Nandalal had forwarded a complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department. After an inquiry over this matter, officers of the Prime Minister's Office had instructed him to be reinstated for service at his old place of service, Maligawatta 'Balawega Dhavanaagaraya'.

A formal inquiry has not been conducted in connection with the Welikada killings for a period close upon 5 years by the government. The writ petition forwarded by Mr. Nandalal to Appeal Courts over the Welikada killings is expected to be heard in court on Setember 12th.