When police cross the line

Former Navy Commander Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenna was granted bail by the Kurunegala High Court (HC) yesterday.

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He had been held on remand for more than two months over the disappearance of a man from Pothuhera and denied bail several times. The Kurunegala HC was reportedly critical of the manner in which the CID had arrested the former Navy Chief.

The Opposition has said the CID arrested Ulugetenna solely on the basis of a statement made by a former LTTE intelligence leader, and he is a victim of a political witch-hunt. The government has denied the allegation.

One should not be so naïve as to expect the police, especially the CID, to heed censure by the judiciary and mend their ways. The police have been so politicised that it remains uncertain whether judicial censure alone can deter them from bypassing due process in arresting and prosecuting suspects. They have been at the beck and call of governments for decades. Old habits are said to die hard. Not even the National Police Commission has been able to depoliticise the police.