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The President orders swift impartial inquiry for Red Cross worker's killingMinistry of Defence, Public Security, Law & OrderPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (05th) ordered the police authorities a swift and impartial inquiry into the abduction and killing of two ICRC (Red Cross) workers. President Rajapaksa gave these directions to the Inspector General of Police Victor Perera at the Presidential Secretariat before the representatives of the ICRC. While giving a seven-day deadline to the Police Chief to find vital clues leading to the killers of the two Red Cross workers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa also informed the ICRC officials that he was even prepared to bring down foreign sleuths in the event of the police failing to meet the deadline. A group of unidentified persons abducted two Red Cross employees, Mahadevan Chandramohan and S. Shanmugalingam from the Fort Railway Station on Friday (01st); and their bodies with gunshot injuries were found dumped in a tea estate in Kiriella on the following day. The reports said that a group of unidentified persons had arrived at the Fort Railway Station around 6.30 pm on Friday, in a white van bearing the no. 251 - 6437 and questioned six Red Cross workers, who were at the station. They had claimed to be from Criminal Investigations Department (CID). However, DIG, of the Criminal Investigations Department W.B.Prathapasinghe denied any involvement of the CID in the incident. The President explaining the alleged involvement of the CID, told the Red Cross members that this could be a conspiracy enacted by the anti - government elements to bring discredit to the government. The government will never encourage such activities, he said. However, he ordered the police to bring whoever involved in this crime to the justice, irrespective of their status. "We cannot allow these criminal acts under my government. We are trying to create a country in which people can live without fear. I will take all necessary action to stop the violence in Sri Lanka. I want the support of all parties, ethnic groups, religions," President Rajapaksa said. Police and CID investigations into the incident have already commenced. A special CID team and a special team of the Fort Police have commenced investigations. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday (04th) paid his last respect to the two murdered Red Cross workers at a funeral parlour in the Colombo. Inspector General of Police, Victor Perera has appointed a special CID team to investigate the deaths of two Red Cross volunteers, whose bodies which had been recovered from the Kiriella area with gun shot wounds.Investigations are under way on the direction of CID DIG Prathapasinghe and Senior DIG Illangakoon. Meanwhile, Red Cross Society officials had identified the bodies. OIC, Kiriella Police, Chief Inspector Yasawardena Weeratunga said a Red Cross team had identified the bodies at the Ratnapura mortuary last morning. Sri Lanka Red Cross Chairman Jagath Abeysinghe said the two victims,
Katikesu Chandra Mohan, 28, and Sinnarasa Shanmugalingam, 31, had been
Red Cross Volunteers for the past five or six years. "We have called
for full scale investigations into the incident from the IGP,"
he said. The victims had been taken away in a white van bearing No.251-6437 by the suspects, police said. "We have information about the van, and how it had happened," police said. Mohan and Shanmugalingam were residents of Chenkalady and Nawathnady areas in the Batticaloa district. They were returning home after attending a Red Cross workshop in Colombo
when they were reportedly abducted by persons in a white van. They were
in the company of four other Red Cross Volunteers who had reported the
incident to the Fort police.
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