The Parliamentary Committee on Public Security and Order (SCOPC) continued its investigation yesterday (18) into the W15 Hotel shooting incident, which has been linked to the suspended Inspector General of Police, Deshabandu Tennakoon. Meeting for the seventh time, the committee summoned nine witnesses, during which significant new details were revealed.
Among those who testified was Police Sergeant Alwis Wijewickrama of the Highway Patrol Division, who provided a chilling firsthand account of discovering an injured man inside a suspicious van near the hotel.
“The vehicle in question was parked near the exit gate. I noticed a broken window and approached. A man named Silva inside the van showed an ID and claimed to be with the police, but the photo was faded, so I informed my superiors. Upon checking inside, I found a man slumped over, injured. We called for an ambulance and helped place him on a trolley. The nurse asked where he was injured. The man was wearing a jacket typically used by cyclists, soaked in blood and stuck to his body. When I unbuttoned his shirt, I found a gunshot wound above the left chest. The nurse said his heart rate was 52 – a critical condition,” he testified.
Sergeant Wijewickrama went on to describe seeing another injured man being dragged from the van, bleeding from his leg. As the man attempted to take a pistol with him, the officer instructed him to leave it behind. The pistol later vanished.
“When we left for the hospital around 3.45 a.m., the second man had already entered the ambulance. I asked if he had handed over the gun, but he didn’t respond. I checked his waistband – it was gone,” he added.
During cross-examination, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris asked whether those in the van had made any special requests.
“Yes, sir, they insisted on being taken to Colombo,” the witness responded.
Committee Chair Justice Preethi Padman Surasena questioned the timing and motive of the request. The witness confirmed that the request to go to Colombo came before anyone mentioned a second injured person.
Also testifying was Police Constable Nirosh Bandara, a driver from the Colombo Crimes Division, who admitted to affixing stickers over the number plate of the KDH van in question.
“Yes, sir, I attached a sticker on the rear number plate,” he said, adding that he did so at the Colombo Crimes Division on instructions.
When asked who gave the order, Bandara replied:
“Duleep asked me to get a cutter. I brought one from the Western Province Anti-Corruption Unit.”
This prompted a wry smile from Justice Surasena, who quipped:
“So, that’s a government-issued cutter, then?”
Later in the session, Additional Solicitor General Dilip Peiris attempted to present a media clip from a press conference held on 18 January 2024, where then Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and Deshabandu Tennakoon addressed the W15 incident.
However, legal counsel for Deshabandu Tennakoon, S. Weerawickrama, objected:
“This is a two-hour-long press briefing. Using a media Q&A clip without presenting the full original source could influence the outcome of this committee’s decision. I strongly object.”
In response, Peiris argued:
“The briefing took place at a state institution. Journalists don’t force their way in—they’re invited. If the content is now disputed, objections should come after the clip is played. This incident is deeply troubling.”
After considering arguments from both sides, the committee ruled to suspend the presentation of the video footage.
