The Senior DIG, Deshabandu Tennekoon, has refused a request by the Inspector General of Police to provide adequate security to the former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Shani Abeysekara.

Mr. Abeysekara came under threat from the underworld and drug traffickers owing to the investigations he had carried out against them. The IGP has acted on a recommendation made by the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses and has forwarded the same to the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division, for an evaluation. The SDIG, after an evaluation, has recommended that Shani Abeysekara be provided with security. However, when the request was communicated to the SDIG Tennekoon, in charge of the Western Province,he refused to act on the directive of the IGP, citing instructions he received from the Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order.

.. According to reports, the incident is as follows:

The National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses has given a recommendation to the police headquarters to provide special protection to Shani Abeysekera, who was suspended and arrested during the presidency of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

This recommendation has, however, been hushed up while investigations are being carried out against Shani Abeysekera.

When the current president assumed duties and directed the police to speed up investigations against Abeysekera, the police came across this recommendation given by the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses to provide special protection.

Accordingly, the Inspector General of Police has forwarded the file with the relevant recommendations to the Senior Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division for an evaluation in this regard.

The Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division has evaluated the matter and approved the recommendation that protection should be provided to Shani Abeysekera.

Currently, Shani Abeysekera is residing in Borella. Therefore, the Inspector General of Police has ordered the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Western Province to provide him security.

By sending a written reply, Western Province Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Deshbandu Tennakoon informed the Inspector General that he had informed the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security about the recommendation of the Inspector General.

As the secretary informed him not to provide protection to Shani Abeysekera until the necessary instructions are given in this regard, it is suggested not to provide security for him until such instructions are received.