Image: NPP supporters stormed the PS premises to disrupt the proceedings.
Watch the video below to see exactly what happened at the Weligama PS yesterday.
The NPP claimed that two of their members had been abducted and demanded that the Commissioner postpone the vote. The Commissioner responded clearly, stating that there is no legal provision for her to postpone the vote as the required number of members were present in the hall. She immediately began the process to proceed with the vote.
They, husband and wife, supposedly left home at 8:30am to go to the Weligama PS. By 9:00am, other NPP PS members have reported their abduction to the Commissioner.
At that moment, three NPP MPs were inside the public gallery. A quick signal was given to the police, and within moments, around 250 to 300 NPP supporters stormed into the premises. The police and STF looked the other way while the mob barged into the meeting hall, threatened the officials, and locked the doors from the inside.
The Commissioner warned them to leave, but they refused. With no other option, she was forced to postpone the election without setting a new date. What kind of behaviour is this? They accuse the SJB candidate of being involved in the underworld. If that’s true, arrest him. The police have filed cases against him in the past, but he has never been convicted. He received the highest candidate preference percentage for the SJB in the country and was directly elected by the people of Midigama.
He was not brought in through the list. The NPP knew they couldn’t win. So they fabricated an abduction story and unleashed a mob to harass and intimidate the Commissioner into calling off the vote. If an abduction actually took place, then launch an investigation.
The NPP backed an “independent” candidate to win the Vice Chair at the Weligama UC. That same candidate was accused of stealing the engine from his official vehicle and was removed as Chairman after being found guilty.
Meanwhile, the Weligama PS vote was called off after NPP goons stormed the meeting premises.
Today the Weligama SJB team lodged a complaint at the SSP’s office in Matara regarding the events that unfolded yesterday. We urge the police to arrest and produce before court all those involved in storming the meeting hall and threatening the commissioner and elected officials.
They state that they will fully cooperate with the Sri Lanka Police. But let’s start with the CCTV footage at the Weligama PS. Watch it and see for yourself who started what.
(compiled from several tweets of Rehan Jayawickreme @RehanJayawick)