Police have issued a statement regarding reports of an alleged assault on a police officer, purportedly involving National People’s Power (NPP) Member of Parliament Shanta Padmakumara and several others.

According to the statement, a complaint was received via the 119 emergency hotline by the Kolonna Police Station at around 8.40 p.m. on the 20th. The complaint alleged that a police constable attached to the Sooriyakanda Police Station, who had completed his duty and was travelling home, was assaulted near the Kalugala Temple by a group including the MP, and that his motorcycle was forcibly taken.

Police further stated that at around 10.10 p.m. the same night, NPP Ratnapura District MP Shanta Padmakumara also lodged a complaint with the Kolonna Police. In his complaint, the MP alleged that while travelling in a cab from Kalugala towards Halwina, a police constable from the Sooriyakanda Police Station obstructed the road by placing his motorcycle in front of the cab, attempted to stop the vehicle, and tried to assault him.

The police said the motorcycle belonging to the constable was later found on the road near the Kalugala Temple and taken into the custody of the Kolonna Police. The injured officer was admitted to the Kolonna Hospital and subsequently transferred to the Embilipitiya Hospital for further treatment.

According to the police statement, hospital medical records note the presence of an odour of alcohol on the officer’s breath. While no narcotic substances were detected in his urine samples, arrangements are being made to obtain a blood sample and forward it to the Government Analyst’s Department to determine whether alcohol had been consumed.

Police added that further investigations into the alleged incident are being carried out by the Embilipitiya Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau under the direct supervision of the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Embilipitiya Division.