Ruwan Chandrasekera, the officer in charge of the Human Rights Commission in Jaffna told Sandeshaya, he along with a volunteer from the UN was assaulted by police officers during a visit to the Jaffna police station while investigating a case of police brutality.

"I had gone to investigate about a detainee being assaulted by the police," Said the human rights representative.

"When I went there around 1.30 in the afternoon, the detainee was not in the cell. One of my officers who arrived there earlier had heard the screams coming from the barracks. On arriving at the barracks, the police officers started verbally abusing and threatening me. There were around thirty five to forty officers." Ruwan Chandrasekera told Sandeshaya.

Police brutality  If this is the situation faced by human rights officers what will the fate of the ordinary citizen be? Ruwan Chandrasekara

"They started pushing me and my colleagues. Then they started hitting me on the head. Once I came out of the barracks, I saw the detainee Ratnasingham Chandramohan was bundled off to a vehicle and a police officer sitting on him while he was driven away screaming."

He said an Assistant Superintendent of Police was present at the incident but the officers intervention went unheeded by the ASP's junior colleagues.

Senior Superintendent of Police in Jaffna, Shantha Wanaguru told Sandeshaya that Assistant Superintendent of Police, Daya Seneviratne is to investigate the incident.

SSP Wanaguru added that the police officers had stopped the HRC officer from entering the barracks as it was not official premises.

"I was given permission by the Assistant Superintendent of police to go and investigate the barracks accompanied by a police officer" says Ruwan Chandrasekara.

"When the ASP asked the officers to come out to be identified, only a handful came out, the others did not even bother to obey the ASP." Said Ruwan Chandrasekera who has filed a complaint against the assault suffered by him.

The Human Rights Commission has requested the Inspector General of Police to inquire into the incident.