An investigations has been launched over government security forces assaulting and torturing a Tamil youth from the North who was traveling on a motorcycle, says Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission (HRCSL).
Coordinator of the Jaffna regional office of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, T Kanagaraj, says that further steps will be taken once they receive the report from the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO).
On the night of November 28th, Monday local residents had filmed the police, police special task force, and army soldiers assaulting a young man on the road at in Aladi junction, Manipai, Jaffna.
The video has recorded another youth who intervenes saying “please don’t hit” been chased away by abusing him verbally.
A uniformed soldier can be seen sitting on a fallen person while another armed soldier kicks the civilian.
“Call the camp. We will take this one” says another in the background.
Provincial journalists say that the brutal attack by armed personnel was carried out on a person who was riding on the pillion of the motorcycle without a helmet.
The policemen who were on duty in Mannipai, Alladi junction questioned the pillion rider.
However, an argument has broken out between the youth who requested to book him for any offence and the policemen, which has ended up in the officers beating up the young man. Seeing this, several army soldiers and Police Special Task Force troops had also joined in on the beating, say locals.
Reporters say that local residents who gathered at the place, took the young man to the Manippai Police station and then admitted to Jaffna Hospital on Tuesday, November 29th.
A team from the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission had visited the Jaffna Teaching Hospital this morning, to recorded statements from the torture victim.
Provincial reporters further stated that the 28-year-old youth who was attacked is still under treatment.
