Attempts to safeguard Sinhala doctor suspected in murder exposed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 July 2010, 18:56 GMT]
The Sinhala doctor arrested by police Tuesday suspected of involvement in the killing of Tharsika from Charava'nai, a family consultant nurse Saturday in Veala’nai government hospital in the islets of Jaffna, was produced in Oorkaavattu’rai magistrate court Wednesday. Magistrate Vasanthasenan directed the police to place him in Jaffna Remand prison until 21 July. The police, instead of taking the suspect to the prison, admitted him to the Intensive Care Unit in Jaffna Teaching Hospital Wednesday night claiming that he had been injured in the attack by Veal’nai residents Saturday. This turn of events reveals the attempts taken by influential politicians and top government officials to safeguard the Sinhala doctor, legal society sources in Jaffna said.

A relative of the Sinhala doctor suspected in the murder is a high officer in Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in the islets of Jaffna. The SLN officer had managed to save the doctor from the enraged residents of Veala’nai Saturday, sources in Veala’nai said.

Interested political persons then had the suspect transferred first to one hospital and then to another in Jaffna peninsula to safeguard him.

The suspect was then kept in the office of Health Department in Jaffna avoiding arrest by police.

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