“A bottle of arrack and Rs. 1,000 or 2,000”: Monk slams Police at Homagama youth’s funeral

October 30, 2026 at 9:12 AM
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A Buddhist monk attending the final rites of the Homagama youth who died while in police custody, has alleged that concerns about misconduct at the Homagama Police Station had been raised with authorities approximately a month before the incident.

Addressing mourners at the funeral, the monk said he had attended an event held under the ‘A Nation United Programme’ at the Homagama Divisional Secretariat, where he had brought concerns regarding the conduct of officers attached to the Homagama Police Station to the attention of the subject minister.

“I informed them about the misconduct at the Homagama Police Station, including the officer involved in this incident. I urged them to address the matter promptly,” he said.

The monk claimed that the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the station had been confronted during the event and that officials had acknowledged receiving concerning reports, assuring those present that the matter would be addressed.

He further alleged that another associate of the deceased had also been assaulted and taken into custody under similar circumstances. Meanwhile there are numerous area residents who had been assaulted over various incidents, by an officer named ‘Gurusinghe’ attached to the Homagama police, he said, adding that these incidents often resulted in broken bones. 

The monk said police officers were entrusted with maintaining law and order, not assaulting members of the public. He criticised the Police Department and the Government, holding them responsible for failing to prevent deaths in police custody, and accused the department of bias.

He also claimed that the victim, Ishara Harsha Kumara was neither the first nor would be the last person to die in such circumstances, citing the death of a youth from Badulla while in the custody of the Welikada Police.

The monk further alleged that, had it not been for media coverage, the victim’s family might have been informed that he had died of a heart attack. He also criticised remarks reportedly made by the Police Spokesperson attributing the death to a sudden illness.

The monk also accused some police officers of compromising their integrity for small bribes.

“We have a police force that sells out for a bottle of arrack and Rs. 1,000 or Rs. 2,000,” he said.

Questioning public confidence in the Police Department, the monk said he was also concerned about possible repercussions for speaking out against the alleged misconduct.

He called for justice for Ishara’s family and urged authorities to take responsibility for addressing allegations of police misconduct. (Newswire)