Manopriya Gunasekera
Police dump body at hospital and nowhere in sight when youth is officially pronounced dead
Dr Ms D. Ranatunga, a medical officer of the Dompe hospital, told a Magisterial inquiry that, after the youth, who was brought by police to the hospital, was pronounced dead, there were no police officers even to find out the name of the deceased.
She said that, by the time the ECG report of the deceased was brought, there were no policemen in sight. She was testifying at the Magisterial inquiry into the death of Gayan Rasanga, 29, who died while in Police custody. The inquiry was held at the Gampaha Magistrate courts by Magistrate Mohammed Macky.
The doctor said that she had seen IP Mayadunne and a few others in civil dress when the body was laid on a trolley at the hospital. The doctor said that, on September 29, a nurse informed her that a person had been brought to the hospital.
“When I saw him, he was on a trolley, and did not respond to initial tests. I believed he was dead, but carried out an ECG examination and confirmed he was dead”, she said. Gayan Rasanga had been taken into custody on September 29, and allegedly assaulted by the police, before he was brought to the hospital.
The Magistrate ordered the JMO report to be submitted at the next hearing on November 25.