In 1995, shortly after Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga came to power, she ordered the establishment of the Batalaanda Commission of Inquiry on September 21st to investigate the infamous Batalaanda incidents.
The commission was tasked with probing the illegal detention, torture, murder, and disappearance of young individuals in the Batalaanda Housing Scheme in Biyagama, a property which was under the purview of the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation.
Today, we delve into some of the commission’s key findings regarding the events that transpired at the Batalaanda Housing Complex between 1988 and 1990.
What Did the Batalanda Commission Uncover?
The commission’s report underscores that several houses within the Batalaanda Housing Complex were used for illegal detention and torture during the period between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 1990.
The complex was under the purview of the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation at the time, which was under the Ministry of Industries.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, then the Minister of Industries, played a pivotal role in this dark chapter of Sri Lanka’s history.
The commission’s findings revealed that Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed officials from the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation to allocate and release houses in the Batalaanda Housing Scheme to police officers from the Kelaniya Police Division.
Key houses in the complex, including A 2/2, A 2/1, A 2/3, A 1/7, B 2, B 1, and B 7, were assigned for use by these officers.
The commission discovered that several of these houses were used by a police unit led by Douglas Peiris, the Officer-in-Charge of the Peliyagoda Police Station.
13 houses were also allocated to the Kelaniya Anti-Subversive Operations Unit.
Shockingly, one of these houses was even designated as Ranil Wickremesinghe’s personal office.
The commission found that Ranil Wickremesinghe had abused his ministerial authority by facilitating the unlawful occupation of houses in the Batalaanda Housing Complex.
Police officers from the Kelaniya Police Division, fully aware of the illegal activities occurring within the complex, violated departmental regulations in occupying these homes.
The commission identified 15 police officers including Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris, Chief Inspector of Police Ranjith Wickramasinghe, and Senior Superintendent of Police Nalin Delgoda.
The commission also criticized Deputy Inspector General of Police Merrill Gunaratne for his failure to take action, allowing the illegal occupancy of the Batalaanda Housing Complex to continue unchecked.
The commission accused Senior Superintendent of Police Nalin Delgoda of intentionally failing to prevent these houses from being used for unlawful purposes.
The commission identified 13 officers directly responsibile for the illegal detention and torture of individuals including:
Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris
Chief Inspector of Police Ranjith Wickramasinghe
Police Sergeant Ratnayake
Police Sergeant Ranatunga
Sub-Inspector of Police Delgahagoda
Police Sergeant Upali Lakhewa
Police Constable Driver Ranjith
Police Constable Jayawardena
Police Constable Heenbanda
Police Sergeant Kappagoda
Police Constable Padmini Premalatha
Police Constable Lakshman
Police Inspector Sunil Bandara Nissanka
What was Ranil Wickremesinghe’s role in this?
The commission’s findings expose that police meetings held at the Batalaanda Housing Complex during this period were explicitly unauthorized by the Ministry of Defense.
Yet, Ranil Wickremesinghe, then the Minister of Industries, took it upon himself to chair these meetings, even though he had no legal authority to do so.
Ranil Wickremesinghe personally instructed the liquidator of the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation to set up illegal detention centres in houses within the complex, including B2, B8, B34, and A1/8.
The report also names Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris and Chief Inspector of Police Ranjith Wickramasinghe as the ones who set up and ran these illegal detention centres, where people were tortured and mistreated.
The Commission clearly states that then Inspector General of Police, Ernest Perera, knew exactly what was happening but chose to do nothing about it.
Why was nothing done to stop these brutal acts in a government-owned housing complex?
Who truly benefited from these horrific actions, and why did they go unpunished for so long?
Should we allow these crimes to be buried in the past as if they never happened?
Or is it time to face the truth?
Source:News First