According to Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne, the Sri Lankan Army’s spokesperson, the army has opened an internal inquiry into the claims that the Lieutenant Colonel assaulted a civilian at a filling station.
In a video that has been making the rounds on social media, an army officer is shown kicking a civilian who has been brought before him by other soldiers.
The event is said to have occurred at the Yaggapitiya Filling Station, which is situated along the main road between Dambulla and Kurunegala. The officer in concern is a commanding officer from the Wehera Army camp in Kurunegala.
Nilantha claimed that the event happened when several individuals were being led to the police after using profane language to reprimand military men. Two individuals who had acted violently and disorderly were turned over to the police. According to Nilantha, a specific gang is seeking to fabricate similar occurrences in order to harm the army’s reputation.
