A video of Sabaragamuwa Senior DIG Ranmal Kodithuwakku assaulting a passerby on the road has been circulating on social media.
Although it is mentioned as an assault, such an assault is not seen in the video, but the suspect behaves in an aggressive manner when attempting to arrest a suspect. However, a brutal attack is not seen here at all.
Furthermore, the video does not mention any of the initial incidents, and it is clear that the man was misbehaving as he tried to get into the police jeep and attempted to escape. It is clear that such a situation would not have arisen if he had not behaved so violently.
Police have the power to arrest a person for any reason. It is clear that the person was violating Sections 219 and 330 of the Ceylon Penal Code when he went to arrest the police officers. It is seen that these police officers are trying to tame the suspect with minimal force due to the violation of those clauses.
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the police have the power to make arrests for non-signal offenses without a warrant. Section 32 (1) (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code allows a person to be arrested without a court order and Section 23 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code authorizes the arrest of suspects using various tactics. If not, these police officers should be prosecuted under Section 216 of the Ceylon Penal Code.