TM Bandula, a key witness at the Batalanda Commission, has recounted his harrowing experience of abduction and torture.
Bandula, who served as the personal bodyguard to the late Sri Lanka Mahajana Party leader Ossie Abeygunasekera, provided detailed testimony about the events that transpired on January 27, 1990.
Bandula was assigned to protect Abeygunasekera following the assassination of party leader Vijaya Kumaratunga.
Bandula was assigned the duty of providing security for Ossie Abeygunasekera’s vehicle while riding a motorcycle.
On January 27, 1990 on the day of his abduction, Bandula was traveling by bicycle from his home in Dalugama, Kelaniya, to a nearby shop when he was forcibly taken by an armed group.
Among the abductors was then Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris, who reportedly brandished a firearm.
According to the Batalanda Commission report, Peiris threatened Bandula, demanding he get into a vehicle and warning him of imminent harm.
Bandula was blindfolded and taken to the Peliyagoda Police Station, then transferred to another vehicle and eventually brought to the Batalanda housing complex, with several tires on him.
Bandula was confined to a room, handcuffed to a nearby object, and subjected to severe physical abuse.
Two other individuals in the room were blindfolded and bound.
Bandula inquired from one of them the reason for his abduction to Batalanda.
One of the individuals had previously taken legal action against Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris, accusing him of assault.
The court found Douglas Peiris guilty and ordered him to pay compensation.
Bandula’s testimony revealed that after the compensation was paid, the complainant was abducted and taken to the Batalanda torture chamber.
During his detention, Bandula was subjected to severe beatings, often being hung upside down and struck with poles.
He was moved between several houses, and at one location, police officers informed him that Denzil, Basil, Upali, and Quintus had been abducted and murdered there.
One morning, a police officer informed Bandula that his arrest was based on false information and that he would be released.
The officer instructed Bandula not to disclose his ordeal to Ossie Abeygunasekera.
However, Bandula overheard a conversation outside the building, revealing plans to take him to the Rathgahahawatta Bridge that night, shoot him near the ear, remove his handcuffs, and throw him into the river.
Fearing for his life, Bandula escaped by jumping out of a window, climbing over a barbed wire fence, and fleeing to Badugewatta village.
There, he sought refuge at a relative’s house, where he managed to remove his handcuffs with their help.
Bandula then fled to Ossie Abeygunasekera’s residence in Colombo.
Bandula stayed at Abeygunasekera’s house for four months before traveling to Saudi Arabia for his safety.
He returned to Sri Lanka in July 1993 and provided a statement to the Criminal Investigation Department in August 1994.
Tragically, Ossie Abeygunasekera was killed in a bomb attack targeting Gamini Dissanayake on November 9, 1994.
Shouldn’t these crimes be thoroughly investigated beyond mere debates?
Shouldn’t justice be served to the victims, even now?