"After serving for 36 years, 22 of them in the North and East, volunteering for operations and contributing to the nation, what am I left to feel when this happens?"

These are the words of Retired Major General Kitsiri Bandara Ekanayake. This is the moment an army officer, who dedicated most of his life to his country, speaks out before the nation about the horrific injustice he faced after being imprisoned for 25 days and then acquitted of a crime he never committed—an accusation he could never have imagined.

This is not just one man's story. It is a story that raises serious questions about the conduct of the Sri Lankan police, the abuse of power, and the helplessness of the ordinary citizen—a story that would shock anyone with a conscience.

The Development Dream and the Land Ritual

After retirement, Major General Ekanayake was preparing to start a new project on his land, combining solar panels and polytunnel technology with the approval of the Ministries of Agriculture and Renewable Energy. Before commencing this project on his six-acre property, he decided to perform a traditional land protection ritual (bhumi pooja) to ward off any negative influences.

Wanting to hide nothing, he,

• Informed the local Divisional Secretary and the Grama Niladhari officer.
  
  

• As the ritual involved some noise, he telephoned the OIC of the Beliatta Police, Nishantha Silva, around 7:30 AM on the day of the event, clearly informing him of his identity and the planned activity.
  
  

• Informed the chief monk of the local temple, Miriswatta Jayawardhanaramaya, and requested facilities for his guests.

The Arrest: The Beginning of a Nightmare

While everything was proceeding transparently, he received his first phone call around 6:35 PM: "Sir, come quickly, the police are here." He was attending a Bodhi Pooja at the temple and immediately rushed to his land to see what was happening.

There, police officers told him they had come in response to a "119 emergency call" but that there was "no problem," and gave him permission to return to the Bodhi Pooja.

However, a short while later, he received a second, frantic call. "Sir, come quickly, they are about to take us away," cried his employee. The Major General rushed back to his land to find a large contingent of police officers.

Telling him they needed "to take a statement," the OIC took him to the police station. There, seeing his four companions, stripped to the waist, in a holding cell, he realised he was caught in a serious conspiracy.

Drunken Officers, Profanity, and Inhumane Interrogation

Around 12:30 AM, an allegedly intoxicated individual arrived, shouting profanities, referring to him as "General," shaking the bars of his cell, and behaving in a disgraceful manner. Later, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for the division, Upul Seneviratne, also arrived, seemingly intoxicated, and began the interrogation around 2:00 AM.

The accusations levelled against him were unbelievable.

• "Where is the neck now? There has been a murder here."
  
  

• "There was a bomb on this property."
  
  

• "There's a treasure here, isn't there?"

The Major General refuted every accusation, asking logical questions like, "Then did you deploy the canine unit?", "Is there a missing person's report?", and "When you receive a tip-off, don't you analyse it?" But the police had no answers.

The Big Lie in Court: The General Who Sacrificed a Virgin

When presented in court the next day, everyone was shocked by the story fabricated by the police. They informed the court that "these suspects came to unearth a treasure, and for that purpose, they brought a young woman, gagged and tied her eyes and hands, and beheaded her with a sword as a human sacrifice."

"It was an unimaginable pain to hear this," says Major General Ekanayake. "Because it was something we had never even dreamed of, something we knew nothing about."

25 Days in Prison and Acquittal

Based on this complete fabrication, the Major General and his four associates were remanded for 25 days at the Angunukolapelessa Prison. Ultimately, with no evidence of treasure hunting or murder from the Department of Archaeology or any other agency, the court decided to acquit them all.

A Decaying System and the Tears of the Innocent

The Major General points out that this experience is not unique to him. During his time in prison, he met many young men who had been framed on false charges. He alleges that there is a system within the police where officers are given "targets" to meet, leading them to frame innocent people to save themselves from their superiors.

He has now lodged complaints with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Ombudsman, demanding disciplinary action against the officers who orchestrated this injustice.

Conclusion: "I Can't Forget This for the Rest of My Life"

"The accusation, this wrongful charge, I can't forget it for the rest of my life... Things like this should not happen to anyone," says the Major General. His story is a powerful appeal to every citizen with a conscience about the severe decay within our country's law enforcement institutions.

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