Five individuals have been arrested by the Katana Police for allegedly obstructing duties of the police at the Mattala Expressway entrance and sharing a video of the incident on social media, Ada Derana reported
The incident occurred yesterday (17) when a private bus returning from a pilgrimage to Kataragama was denied entry to the expressway due to the absence of seat belts. The situation reportedly escalated into a heated exchange between the passengers and police officers on duty.
During the confrontation, several individuals were heard using abusive language while mentioning the name of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The incident was recorded on a mobile phone and later circulated on social media.
According to Ada Derana, the Officer-in-Charge who was on duty at the time, along with two other police officers, has been transferred with immediate effect. The OIC has been attached to Police Headquarters, while the other two officers have been transferred to the Kottawa and Kadawatha Police Stations.
The transfers were reportedly made over the failure to initiate legal action against those involved in the incident.
However, Police have not officially stated the specific legal grounds under which the five individuals were arrested.
Meanwhile, Lankadeepa newspaper reported that the suspects were accused of insulting the President and obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties. (NewsWire)
