Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa denied any involvement by Police in closing down the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headquarters building on Darley Road, Colombo 10, yesterday (7).
He said that the police have only provided security to the premises until it is opened by the Party officials who locked its doors in order to conduct an investigation over a complaint received regarding a set of files that has gone missing from the headquarters building. The acting General Secretary of the party MP Sarathi Dushmantha Mithrapala had lodged the complaint in this regard with the Maradana Police on Friday (5) morning.
According to him, the said files had gone missing following a press conference conducted by several former office-bearers of the party who were removed from their positions recently.
However, when a group of party members and office-bearers arrived at the headquarters premises on Saturday (6) morning, it had been locked down and police were present denying entry to the premises by any individual.
Accordingly, the gathered members joined by former General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, Daham Sirisena and also the acting General Secretary Mithrapala conducted a demonstration in front of the SLFP headquarters against the move to close down their party headquarters.
Speaking to the media on this occasion, the Acting General Secretary said that Police have closed down the premises and are not allowing any person to enter even into the adjacent auditorium which is not relevant to the complaint lodged by him. He vowed to take action on violating their fundamental rights as well.
MP Dayasiri Jayasekara was of the view that what is going on around the party is a conspiracy by the incumbent government to take the party’s support to the government and those who took steps to close down the headquarters have caused severe damage to the party.
It was seen that former President Maithripala Sirisena who was suspended from the post of party leader was passing the headquarters building by his vehicle while waving hand to the demonstrating party members on Saturday.
The Police Media Spokesman made this statement in response to a question raised by journalists during the police media briefing held yesterday at police headquarters. He said the police are also waiting until the doors of the building are opened by whoever has locked them in order to initiate the investigations into the complaint.
Police have no concern regarding the internal party conflicts which is a political matter and the only concern is the alleged theft. By providing police security it is expected to prevent any clash between the parties involved in the conflict, DIG Thalduwa said.
A series of political scenes occurred around the SLFP within the one week period ended from April 6.
An Executive Committee meeting of the party headed by its leader former President Maithripala Sirisena on March 30 announced the removal of Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Duminda Dissanayake from their positions in the party as Senior Vice President, the Treasurer and the National Organizer respectively. They were replaced by former Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, former Western Province Minister Hector Bethmage and SLFP’s Mahiyanganaya Constituency Organizer K.P. Gunawardena. However, the Colombo District Court on Monday (1) issued an interim injunction preventing the SLFP Executive Committee from removing Dissanayake, Amaraweera and Alagiyawanna.
Meanwhile, the Colombo District Court on Thursday (4) issued an interim injunction suspending former President Sirisena acting as the Leader of the party. The court order was based on a complaint filed by former Leader of the SLFP and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
Soon after the order against Sirisena, the three office-bearers removed on March 30 visited the Party Headquarters and held a press conference.The Acting General Secretary had complained that the files in question have gone missing following this press conference. He also stated that several outsiders were seen conducting press conferences inside the headquarters building even after he had lodged the complaint with police but after that only the police are barring others from entering the premises.
Lahiru Fernando and Swarna Wijekoon