The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) has disclosed that 24 suspects lost their lives while in police custody last year.
According to the Chairman of the Commission, Attorney at Law Nimal Punchihewa, instances of suspects being fatally shot during police operations to retrieve weapons in clandestine locations have been alarmingly frequent. Punchihewa emphasized that it falls upon the Officer in Charge (OIC) of police stations to ensure the protection of suspects under custody.
Shockingly, two suspects met their demise in police custody within the past two months alone. The SLHRC revealed that it received a staggering 9,417 public complaints against the police in 2023, with 44 complaints specifically related to incidents during the Yukthiya operation.