Police Brutality: Let us protest together

By Mano Ganesan

(November 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Invitation to all the Civil Society Organizations, NGOs, Religious Organizations and Political Parties

Balavarnan Sivakumar (26) was clubbed and forcibly drowned in the Colombo Bambalapitiya Sea on Thursday 29th October. Sivakumar was said to be a mentally unsound person. His ‘crime’ at the time of the incident was that he had stoned passing vehicles and approaching police officers, a typical behavior of a mentally ill person.

The whole country watched the video footage originally shown in the TNL network in which Sivakumar was being ruthlessly attacked to death. The attack was led by a policeman attached to the Bambalapitiya police station.

The horror video shows the defenseless Sivakumar begging the attackers for mercy. But the ‘Guardians of Law’ had continued the assault with poles until the unarmed Sivakumar went down the waters to death.

This incident is followed by what happened in Angulana where two youths were killed by the police recently.

A Protest Demonstration against the Brutality has been arranged to be held as per following details:

Date: 4th November, 2009 (Wednesday)
Time: 12 PM
Venue: Front of the Colombo Fort Railway station

You are requested to attend the protest demonstration. Please kindly come with your own banners and cadres/members.

-Sri Lanka Guardian