2 brothers from Batticaloa. Mahendiran keerthiseelan and Mahendiran Anujan, were brutally beaten and hosptalised by Sri Lankan police when fuelling their motorcycles at a petrol station in Thandiyadi on Sunday night.
The incident follows the assult of a Tamil resident of Kokuvil who was summoned to Batticaloa police station on Sunday over a personal dispute. He was tortured to obtain a confession and hospitalised.
Joseph Mathan, a #Tamil resident of #Kokuvil, summoned to #Batticaloa police station on Sunday (5) for an inquiry about a personal dispute, was hospitalised after being tortured to obtain a confession.
"I need justice & the policeman should be punished", he says. #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/kmFfPwmRO6— JDS (@JDSLanka) September 7, 2021
“Policemen who carry out such assaults need to be punished under the law. I kindly urge all youth, assaulted by police, to take action. I will continue my struggle until I get the justice” the resident, Joseph Mathan, told reporters.
The attack on the two brothers comes as Sri Lanka a fuel shortage, despite the denials of Sri Lankan energy minister. On 20 August the minister claimed that the country had only diesel stocks for 11 days and petrol for 10 days. Major cities such as Colombo have seen long queues at filling station.
Human Rights Watch has published a damning report detailing the abuses of Sri Lanka's police during the COVID-19 pandemic which includes arbitrary detentions, police brutaltity, torture, and extra judicial killings.
Read more here.
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