The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) today expressed strong concern over remarks made by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to the media regarding the security provided to Kalutara District MP Jagath Vithana, who has reportedly received death threats.
In a statement issued by its media unit, the SJB said the IGP’s claim that the threat was based on “non-political grounds” implied that the MP was targeted due to some illegal or personally motivated act. The party stressed that it was the IGP’s duty to clarify the exact nature of such claims rather than issue vague and damaging insinuations.
“We strongly condemn this defamatory statement against a public representative. Such indirect remarks serve only to portray an elected MP engaged in public service as a wrongdoer,” the SJB said.
The party alleged that the IGP’s statement reflected an attempt to “turn the complainant into the accused and the victim into a criminal.” It further accused the government of routinely dismissing serious incidents by framing them as outcomes of illegal activity or personal misconduct.
“The IGP’s comments, in line with the government’s propaganda narrative, raise serious doubts about the independence of the police force,” the statement read. “By concentrating powers of the Independent Police Commission in the hands of the IGP and allowing him to issue politically aligned statements, the government risks turning the police service into an instrument of repression.”
The SJB urged all democratic forces to recognise and resist what it described as “the growing shadow of a repressive police state.”
It added that the party will take all necessary action against what it called “a politically motivated attempt to downplay MP Jagath Withana’s security” and to use police operations as media spectacles to divert public attention from real issues.
