Wife Piyumi's description of Ishara's murder at Homagama Police Station

29-year-old Ishara Harsha Kumara, who walked on his own two feet to the Homagama Police Crime Division on the morning of the 25th, did not emerge a living man a short while later. His wife, Piyumi Nisansala, witnessed his body being dragged along the ground by his limbs and thrown near the cell.

By then, his eyes were closed, and blood was flowing from his mouth and eyes. Ishara, a resident of Moonamalegatta, Kiriwaththuduwa, Homagama, was a father of one. His son is five years old. It is his wife who unfolds the tragic story of Ishara's last few hours before society. She has detailed this on the 'Truth with Chamuditha' program. According to her, her husband's death was a clear murder that occurred while in police custody.

According to Piyumi, Ishara left home on the 24th between 10 PM and 11 PM, saying he was going to a friend's house. The next day, on the 25th, around 6:50 AM, she received a call from the police informing her that Ishara was in custody. Subsequently, in another call, the police instructed her to bring a shirt, an ice balm, and a bottle of drink for him. She confirms that she heard her husband's voice during that call.

When she went to the Homagama Police with her young child, it was between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM. There, she saw Ishara and his friend, 'Madhu,' being taken to the Crime Division. She states that Ishara was walking upright without any difficulty at that time. However, a short while later, loud screams were heard from the direction of the Crime Division. After that, she saw her unconscious husband's body being dragged along the ground and thrown down. Despite her cries and pleas for her husband who lay on the ground, she received no positive response from the police officers.

After that, the unconscious Ishara was put into a police jeep and taken to Homagama Hospital. His wife and relatives went to the hospital in a three-wheeler. Inside the hospital's emergency treatment unit, they saw medical staff attempting to save Ishara's life by performing chest compressions. Piyumi alleges that nurses and police officers snatched her mobile phone, which she was using to video record all of this, and completely deleted the video footage. She states that the OIC of the Crime Division, an officer named Gurusinghe, was also present there in civilian clothes at that moment. A short while later, the news from the hospital was that Ishara had died.

However, senior police officers tell a completely different story regarding this incident. According to official statements, Ishara was arrested on the 23rd. The police state that he had been assaulted in a prior dispute between two parties, admitted to Homagama Hospital, and then fled the hospital without medical advice. They further claim that he was accustomed to drug use and was hospitalized due to complications he showed while in the cell.

Piyumi Nisansala strongly refutes this police statement. While she admits that Ishara fell from a motorcycle on the 23rd, sustained a minor injury, was hospitalized, and then returned home, she states that no assault or dispute occurred. The question she raises is how someone who had been severely injured in such an assault could walk on his own two feet to the Crime Division on the morning of the 25th. According to the open verdict of the post-mortem examination released so far, it has been reported that the deceased sustained injuries from being hit on the head with a blunt object, and three ribs and the neck area were fractured.

The main eyewitness to this incident is Madhu, the friend arrested with Ishara. Currently held in remand prison, he has also told relatives that he and Ishara were severely beaten with an iron belt and a helmet inside the police station. Sudesh Nandimal, convenor of the Committee for Protecting Prisoners' Rights, states that Madhu has been charged with other offenses and imprisoned with the aim of concealing evidence. Furthermore, Nandimal alleges that the OIC of the Crime Division has a history of similar assaults in the Kalutara area previously.

Piyumi, who is seeking justice for her husband's death, and her family members have now been served a court order through the police at their home, preventing them from taking any action for 14 days. In the gap between the truth witnessed firsthand and the official reports, a five-year-old child has lost his father. The inhumane sight of Ishara's body being dragged along the ground, the video footage forcibly deleted at the hospital, and the serious question of what truly happened inside a police cell remain before society.