When the law waltzes with power

A woman has been arrested and remanded for driving dangerously and obstructing the police in Gampaha. She is alleged to have falsely claimed to be a Senior DIG's sister.

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The matter is now before the Gampaha Magistrate's Court, and therefore it is best left to the learned judge.

False personation or claiming fictitious links to those in authority, and name-dropping are typical ruses traffic law violators often use to evade legal action. There are also situations where influential persons intervene on behalf of the transgressors, making the ordinary traffic police personnel hesitant to carry out their duties.

The high-octane performance of the police in Gampaha on Friday, when they pursued and arrested the aforesaid woman, was remarkable and praiseworthy. But it is sadly absent when the police happen to deal with the members of the ruling party. One may recall that in September, a group of JVP cadres led by some government MPs stormed an office of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) in full view of the police. The FSP members were thrown out, and the police sided with the attackers, who claimed that they had won a court case against the FSP and had a copy of the judgement. The police went so far as to provide protection to the disputed office afterwards.