The family of the late Ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen has called on the Anura Kumara Dissanayake Government to conduct fresh investigations into the late Ruggerite’s death.
Addressing the media, Thajudeen’s uncle said that under the Yahapalanaya Government, a court-appointed 7-member Judicial Medical Officers’ group had determined that Wasim Thajudeen was tortured and burnt to death.
“In May 2012, I was informed that Thajudeen had met with an accident and had passed away. When I arrived at the location, he was in the passenger seat of the car, which had very minimal damage. It was surprising that anyone could have died in such an accident,” he said.
Thajudeen’s uncle further said that the report on the death at the time claimed he had met with an accident due to overspeeding and drunk driving, and had died due to inhaling smoke caused by the fire that had erupted on impact of the accident.
“When the Yahapalana Government came into power, Thajudeen’s death was a key topic on public stages. When they requested to exhume the body and conduct a new investigation, the family consented. That investigation disputed the previous report and instead revealed that Thajudeen had been tortured and burnt to death,” he said.
Stating that the family has not received justice from any government yet, Thajudeen’s uncle expressed hope that the new Government will take up the case even after 13 years and punish those responsible for the death.
“Why was this done? Is it because he was a ruggerite? We have complete faith in the judiciary. No government has provided us with a solution yet. We hope that even after 13 years, the current government will take up this matter and those responsible will be punished. If this government also fails to resolve this, then we have no hope in the future,” he added.
In May 2012, the charred remains of 28-year-old Wasim Thajudeen were found in a burned-out car near the Shalika Grounds in Colombo, with the incident being ruled as an accident. (Newswire)