Tussle over post of Police Chief; so the present IGP continues

Police Inspector General Chandana Wickramaratne’s term was extended by a further three months from yesterday by President Ranil Wickremesinghe amid a heated debate over who should succeed him to be the nation’s top Police officer.

The decision to extend the IGP’s term was taken during a meeting attended by President Wickremesinghe, Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, Police Chief Wickramaratne and Western Province Senior Police Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon.

Public Security Ministry sources said during the discussion, the President agreed to extend the tenure of Police Chief Wickramaratne by a further three months. He was due to retire yesterday. Once that period is over,

SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon’s name will be forwarded by the President to the Constitutional

Council for consideration to be the next Police Chief.

SDIG Tennakoon is a controversial figure in the Police and both the Catholic Church and Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) have reacted strongly to earlier reports that he is tipped to be the next Police Chief.

The Catholic Church’s opposition stems from the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks recommendations to take disciplinary action against several senior Police officers including SDIG Tennakoon for negligence and security failures that led to the attacks.

The BASL has already written to President Wickremesinghe stressing that the next Police Chief should be an officer “whose service is exemplary and free of blemish.”

SDIG Tennakoon has also faced accusations related to the mob attacks by supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on peaceful protesters at Galle Face on May 9 last year.

The controversial SDIG is not the only senior officer vying to be the next Police Chief, though he now appears to be the favourite. Police Department sources said there was a three-way tussle underway among three senior Police officers to succeed Police Chief Wickramaratne.