Panadura Chief Magistrate Chandima Liyanage directed Deputy Inspector General of Police Western Province to hold a comprehensive investigation to find out the cause of death regarding the mysterious death of Wadumenthrige Wasantha Kumara of Wekada Panadura, a patient who had escaped from the Panadura Base Hospital.
His body was found at the foot of a high building situated close to the Panadura South Police on February 20 and police conducted the investigations. The Chief Magistrate resumed the Magisterial inquiry into the death of W. Wasantha Kumara on February 21 in open Court as relatives of him had not been satisfied with the investigations conducted by the Panadura South Police Crime Branch.
When further magisterial inquiry was called before the Court on February 21, Namal Perera Attorney at law appearing for the wife of the deceased informed court that she suspected that the death of her husband is a murder. The police had not conducted a proper inquiry into the death of her husband who escaped from the Panadura Base Hospital on February 19. The wife suspected that when he escaped from the hospital he had come to the Panadura South Police and the policemen on duty at the police station on that night assaulted him and chased him out from the police station. The lawyer produced a CD record before Court.
Panadura South Police Asst Supdt of Police Clayment Fernando who had conducted an inquiry into the allegation of being hammered by policemen on that night, denied that the police had assaulted him on that night when the deceased visited the police. However, the Asst Supdt of Police mentioned in his report submitted to the Police that the policemen on that night had been negligent in carrying out their duty and that action will be taken against them.
Dr. Kumarage, AJMO of Ragama Hospital who had performed the autopsy on W. Wasantha Kumara on the orders of the Panadura Chief Magistrate had submitted his judicial report to Court and informed that there were no assault injuries on the body of the deceased but the injuries had been caused when he fell from a high spot.
Police Sergeant Samanlal Edirisinghe representing the Panadura South Police informed Court that W. Wasantha Kumara had been a patient of the Panadura Base Hospital and on February 19 he had escaped from the hospital and visited the Panadura Police Station and later left. Policemen had asked him to leave the police station. He had then left the Panadura Police Station and on the following day his body was found at the foot of a four storied building situated far from the Panadura South Police.
The Police called on the Chief Magistrate to the scene and conducted the magisterial inquiry. He ordered the Ragama Hospital AJMO to perform the autopsy on the body of the deceased and submit the Judicial Report.
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