Director-General of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Lakshman Hulugalle, today assured that the government has no intention of protecting any person responsible for the shooting at a JVP rally in Katuwa, which claimed the lives of two.

Responding accusations made by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, at a press conference yesterday, that the government is creating various interpretations and wrong depictions of the shooting incident and is protecting the murderers through government and police media spokesmen, Hulugalle said he had made a statement to media “with facts in hand”.

He stated that shortly after the incident in Katuwana certain news websites had declared the attack was carried out by the government.

Therefore, Hulugalle says, as the Director-General of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) he has the right to respond to any false propaganda being carried out against the government.

Issuing a statement the day of the incident, he reminded he had said, that an investigation has already commenced into the incident and that so far no information has been discovered, however conflicts exist between factions of the JVP therefore this could have been an internal dispute.

“I made that statement with facts and evidence in hand,” Hulugalle said responding to Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s challenge to him to present facts relevant to this.

I have information regarding ten such incident, he said motioning to a document in his hand at a press briefing today (18). These are investigation reports regarding complaints made to the police on various occasions by three groups namely, the Movement for People’s Struggle, Frontline Socialists Party and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, he pointed out.

He stressed that five out of these ten incidents have ended up in court, two have been resolved and therefore no one can say the police did not investigate these. “We have made no accusation without evidence.”

He added that MP Ajith Kumara, a member of the FSP, in a complaint made to the IGP, had states that a significant political division had occurred within the JVP in September, 2011 and that a group of JVP officials had pressured their party carrying out attacks and creating a tense situation.

He has specially requested police investigations into such incidents taking place in the Hambantota District and that JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva is directly involved in them, Hulugalle claimed.

“Therefore they are pointing a finger at the government, within an hour after the incident, when four fingers are pointed at them,” he expressed.

“We are in these positions as government officials to protect the government and to prove the innocence of the government. Similar to him (Dissanayake) I also have a right to make a statement regarding this,” he said.

Because when Anura Kumara points the finger to the government within 1-2 hours after the incident he did not have any evidence to present, accused the Director-General of MCNS.

He further stated that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, just 6 or 7 hours after the shooting, had launched a poster campaign across the country with the same poster.

“Now I’m beginning to suspect whether the posters were made before the murders took place.

Don’t know whether they made the posters knowing what is to happen. If not how did they distribute the posters?” he questioned.  

He went on to say that certain MPs criticize government officials while standing behind their privileges, as government officials don’t have the privileges afforded to parliamentarians.

‘Anura Kumara can’t decide who is wrong’

Anura kumara has also named an individual, a certain Julampitiya Amare, as being involved in the incident. If any such person is actually involved, the government has no intention of protecting him, assured Hulugalle.

If there is any evidence to support this, the police will act accordingly without bias, he said.

The JVP had claimed that the shooting was carried out by Julampitiya Amare, reportedly a prominent underworld figure, and a group of his men.

The individual in question is connected and was involved with various political parties for a certain period of time; Lakshman Hulugalle revealed adding that the government will not come forward to protect him in any manner.

“One thing Anura Kumara Dissanayake should know is that neither he nor I have the tight to decide who the wrongdoers are and who the criminals are.

That is what the police are for. The police will identify the suspects and produce them at court. The court will decide who is wrong and who is not” he finally added.