The Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara ordered Cinnamon Garden Police yesterday to file charge sheets against National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa and six other party activists for allegedly providing leadership to a protest.
The protest blocked the main roads at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, causing disturbance to the people and the normal flow of traffic. On February 6, 2016, the NFF staged a protest march against the visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.
Six suspects including NFF leader and Colombo District MP Wimal Weerawansa, Jayantha Samaraweera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Piyasiri Wijenayake, Roger Seneviratne, Mohammed Muzammil and Don Lusian are currently out on bail. The seventh suspect Chaminda Jayalal was not present in Court yesterday and Court was informed that the police were yet to trace his whereabouts.
Police informed Court that the suspects who organized the procession had failed to obtain prior permission from police to organise the march.
They further alleged that the organizers had also used loudspeakers without a valid license. Police further submitted to Court that the suspects provided leadership to a protest which blocked the main road at Bauddhaloka Mawatha towards Havelock Town, causing disturbance to the people and the normal flow of traffic.
President’s Counsel Jayantha Weerasinghe with counsel Kapila Gamage appeared for the suspects.
Further magisterial inquiry into the matter was postponed for September 18.
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