Five senior officers of the Sri Lankan Police, who have been accused of failing to prevent the terrorist attack on Catholic churches and other places by an Islamic extremist outfit on Easter Sunday, were handed over charge sheets by the police unit dealing with discipline.
Police sources further stated that although seven officers of the police have been accused, two of them have already retired by now, so they have arranged to hand over the charge sheets to the five officers who are currently remaining in the service.
Accordingly, charge sheets have been handed over to Deshabandhu Tennakon, who served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Western Province (North) at the time, and to DIG Lalith Patinayake, who was in charge of Colombo during the period in question.
Sisila Kumara, the then Superintendent of Police in charge of Katana, who is currently under suspension involving a cannabis smuggling racket; Sanjeeva Bandara, who was the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of Colombo North; and another officer, the former OIC of Katana police station.
The accused officers who have now retired are Nandana Munasinghe, who served as the Western Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, and Chandana Athukorala, who was posted as the Negombo Senior Superintendent of Police at the time of the incident.
