Retired Major General Suresh Salley, who is currently being detained by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), is being held in uncomfortable conditions and faces a risk of falling ill due to the poor state of the detention room, his lawyer and the General Secretary of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Udaya Gammanpila, said.
Speaking to the media yesterday (11) after visiting the CID headquarters as Maj. Gen. Sallay’s lawyer, Gammanpila expressed concern over the conditions under which the former intelligence chief is being held.
Gammanpila stated that he met Maj. Gen. Salley following a request from the officer’s family and added that he is currently the only person permitted to visit him, apart from Sallay’s son and brother.
“According to Major General Sallay, he has been kept in a room located directly in front of a toilet, and he is unable to bear the bad smell. This has triggered his migraine condition,” Gammanpila said.
He further claimed that cockroaches and rats frequently enter the room and even reach the area where Sallay sleeps, posing a serious health risk.
Gammanpila said the retired officer had become emotional during the meeting. “He said that as a war hero who fought against terrorism, he is now being kept in a dangerous environment while his service and health condition are being ignored,” he added.
Gammanpila also alleged that Maj. Gen. Sallay was arrested based on a statement made by a terrorist, without any additional evidence to support the claim. He described the arrest as unfair.
