Committee finds Arundika not guilty over Ragama medical faculty clash

The committee appointed to inquire into the incident of an attack on medical faculty students in Ragama has handed over its report to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The report states that former State Minister Arundika Fernando has been found not guilty with regard to the accusations of being involved in the said incident.  

The incident had taken place on the night of February 01, when a group of individuals had forcibly entered the men’s hostel of the Kelaniya University’s Faculty of Medicine in Ragama and attacked several students.

The suspects had reportedly arrived in two cars and had fled after the attack, however the students had managed to apprehend one of the individuals along with a car, which reportedly belonged to the Coconut Development Authority. 

An official ID, issued in 2018 to a driver of former State Minister Arundika Fernando’s personal staff, was found inside the car.

A total of nine suspects involved in the incident, including the MP’s son, were arrested and remanded on charges of assault, causing injuries, forceful entry, unlawful assembly and misuse of a vehicle belonging to a state institution. 

The lawmaker’s son, a 23-year-old named Avinda Randila Jehan Fernando was arrested after he surrendered to the Ragama Police through a lawyer.

The parliamentarian subsequently resigned from his position as State Minister. 

The President appointed a committee chaired by Minister Keheliya Rambukwella to investigate and submit a report on the incident. Ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Ramesh Pathirana were the other members of the committee.

The committee had observed the incident, reports and prepared a report containing facts and recommendations, the President’s Media Division said.

According to reports, the incident was not a deliberate and coordinated clash, but an irresponsible act on the part of a group of third year and fourth year students, the statement said.

According to the report, the students involved in the incident were arrested, produced in court and released on cash and personal bail after admitting that they had committed certain actions.

The son of MP Arundika Fernando has been arrested along with his friends without delay and legal action has been taken, the report added.

Accordingly, the committee recommends that disciplinary action be taken against the government institution in charge of the vehicle, which belongs to the Coconut Development Authority, over its use in this incident and that a specific program be set up to ensure the security of the entire university system to prevent unauthorized entry of outsiders into the hostel premises.

The committee noted that former state minister Arundika Fernando did not have any knowledge or influence in the incident, the report said.

It has been reported that he has also provided an opportunity to enforce the law impartially, the statement added.

The committee report further states that considering all the facts, former Minister of State Arundika Fernando has been found not guilty.