An investigation into the police clash with disabled soldiers outside the Presidential Secretariat has pointed to errors of judgement by the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) for Colombo and several other serious lapses.

The three-member panel appointed by the Law and Order ministry handed in its report at the weekend noting that protestors should have been stopped long before they reached the Secretariat.

The panel also found serious communication gaps, including the failure of Colombo DIG Lalith Pathinayake to keep his superiors and Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake informed of the events leading up to the November 7 incident.

Even after talks between five representatives of the retired disabled servicemen and the government led to a successful resolution of all their demands, some 500 protestors were marching to the Secretariat.

“Had the police been more tactful and communicated to the group that their demands had been met, there would have been a different outcome,” according to a senior official with access to the report.

Courtesy:The Island