Two police sergeants and a civilian suspected of shooting and killing a pregnant deer in the Heenuggala area of Galkiriyagama were recently apprehended by a group of local youths. The suspects were tied to trees and handed over to the police by the villagers. Following this incident, serious allegations have emerged claiming that police officers are now retaliating against the villagers, particularly the youths involved in the arrest.
Residents speaking to the media allege that the police are subjecting them to continuous harassment, disrupting their daily lives and farming activities. They state that this has created an environment in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to live peacefully in the village.
Further allegations suggest that police officers recently visited the area accusing the youth who helped capture the suspects of cultivating cannabis on farmland. However, according to villagers, these officers left the scene after locals gathered in support of the youth, effectively preventing what they claim was a fabricated charge.
Reports also indicate that young men riding motorcycles are frequently stopped, detained, and subjected to license checks under the pretense of law enforcement, which the villagers interpret as targeted harassment.
Community members fear for both their livelihoods and personal safety, believing that the arrest of the alleged deer poachers has resulted in unjust retaliation by law enforcement.
The villagers are now appealing to the President, the Minister of Public Security, the Minister of Environment, and the Inspector General of Police to urgently intervene and put an end to what they describe as intimidation and abuse of power by local police officers.
