A group of officers attached to the Tissamaharama Police have abused a girl studying in year 6 by severely questioning her in school.Sri Lanka Latest News
Mawbima newspaper has reported that the officers stormed the school in civilian clothes to question the daughter about an incident related to her uncle, which is not related to her at all. Below we quote the relevant full report of the newspaper that was released today (11).
It is reported from Tissamaharama, Beralihela area that a 06th year student was stopped from going to school due to the police coming to the school and questioning her.
The police questioned an 11-year-old female student of Beralihela, Tissamaharama.
A brother of this student’s mother has eloped with a girl from Kalawana area. According to a complaint made by the girl’s parents to the Kalawana police, a group of police officers went to the young man’s house and checked.
After interrogating the father of the young man, he went to the house of the young man’s sister and examined him. As she was not at that house, the police went to the Beralihela Kanitu school where her little daughter is studying.
There, the girl was questioned in front of the teachers and students, “Did uncle bring a woman to the house, where is uncle now” and so on. Then the girl’s mother told ‘Mawbima’ that the girl was scared and cried. The mother said that the girl did not want to go to school no matter how much she said that she had complained to the Human Rights Commission and the National Child Protection Authority.
Commenting on this, the girl’s grandfather said:
“The other day, between 06.30 and 07.00 in the morning, a police team came and turned the house upside down and asked where my son was. I do not know. I said that I haven’t come home in a while, I asked where my daughter is. I said that he was settled in the neighboring village. Then he said let’s go to his daughter’s house and took him to the car. There was no one there. Neighbors found out that her daughter went to Beralihela school. After calling the principal of the school and bringing the child, the police started asking various questions about the uncle. The child cried and said that he did not know anything. It was said that only my brother, myself and mother were at home. The son has become friends with a girl, we don’t even know and will not come here. Kalawana and Tissamaharama police should be held responsible if our lives are harmed due to this situation.
The girl’s mother said:
“We live by farming. The man has gone to work in a distant province. I have two children. The elder daughter and younger son, the other day I left the child at school and went to buy medicine for the younger child. When I came home, my daughter told me that the police had come to school. Who is at home? Where is uncle Avadi? have heard I was scared. I’m shy and can’t meet my friends. My daughter said that mom, I can’t go to school.
I was told to come to Tissamaharama police station so I went there. The police said to bring my brother. Or threatened to be sent inside for 14 days. The police often break into the house. We are not allowed to stay at home. The children are scared and say that the child cannot stay at home. They say they can’t go to school. Why do the police bother us about things we don’t know. I request the attention of the Inspector General of Police on this matter.
In this connection, when asked by the Station Commander of the Tissamaharama Police about taking a statement from a female student at the school, he said that no such statement was taken.
The principal of the school said:
“A few people came with the boy’s grandfather around half past seven in the morning. He said he was in trouble and wanted to know some details from the boy. When I asked who it was, they said it was the CID and the police. I said I will ask myself if the child will be scared. He asked her a little bit of information in the manner of asking for information at home. It was later learned that the officers were from the Tissamaharama Police. They were not in uniform. After hearing the information, he left.
