Homagama OIC suspended after Ishara's death

A man who walked on his own two feet returned carried by four limbs. This is how the tragic fate of Ishara Harsha Kumara, a 29-year-old father of two residing in Kirivaththuduwa, was sealed at the Homagama Police Station.

Following his sudden death while in police custody on drug charges, steps have now been taken to suspend three officers, including the OIC of the Homagama Police Crime Division.

On the morning of October 25, Ishara's wife, Piyumi Nisansala, arrived at the Homagama Police Station following a phone call informing her of her husband's arrest. Their five-year-old child was with her. Fearing that the child would be scared if they went near the cell, she waited in a hall at the police station. While waiting, she saw her husband and the other person arrested with him being taken to the Crime Division. A short while later, she heard a painful wail. She could not immediately identify whose scream it was.

But a short while later, the sight she witnessed left her utterly shocked. She saw Ishara, who had been taken to the Crime Division, being carried by his hands and feet by a group of other young men who had come to sign at the police station, and dragged along the floor. The other person who went with him was also brought back limping.

"He was beaten to death... He had no illness whatsoever. How can a man who walked on his own two feet be carried back? They must have beaten him like an animal, there were blue marks on his stomach, and blood came out of his mouth," Piyumi Nisansala stated, leveling serious accusations against the police regarding her husband's death.

Due to the strong pressure and request from relatives who witnessed the incident, steps were taken to admit Ishara, who was in critical condition, to Homagama Base Hospital. However, his relatives state that this young father had already passed away by the time he was taken to the hospital.

Regarding this serious incident, the Police Media Division confirmed that the services of the OIC of the Crime Division at Homagama Police Station, a Sub-Inspector, and a Police Sergeant have been suspended with immediate effect in connection with the incident.

Further investigations into this death, which occurred while in police custody, have now been handed over to the Western South Criminal Investigation Division. Ishara's post-mortem examination, a crucial factor in the legal process, is scheduled to be conducted on the 27th, and it is expected to reveal the true cause of the untimely death of that young father from Kirivaththuduwa who went to the police station on his own two feet.