It has been revealed during an investigation by the Police Headquarters that the expected objectives of the ‘Yukthiya’ operation have not been achieved.
Many senior officers of the Police Headquarters have also taken steps to inform the Acting Inspector General of Police that the ‘Yukthiya’ operation was only a media show and that there has not been an increase in drug raids compared to previous years.
They have pointed out that instead of arresting top-level drug dealers, people were arrested according to a document given by a group of high-ranking Police officials, and most of those arrested were people who had been involved in drug trafficking earlier but had quit the practice and were staying away from the drug trade at the time of their arrests.
Apart from that, it has been found from the follow-up conducted by the Police Headquarters that many of the arrested individuals are drug addicts and not drug traffickers.
A senior officer of the Police Headquarters said that a media show has been conducted showing that a large quantity of drugs nabbed by the Navy in off-shore raids too are related to the ‘Yukthiya’ operation.
The officer said that it appears that the ‘Yukthiya’ operation was carried out for some political purpose and the normal duties of the Police Stations were almost completely disrupted due to this.
Although the Acting Inspector General of Police has re-deployed the officers on the ‘Yukthiya’ operation for normal civil duties, Police Headquarters information stated that the operations to combat drug trafficking and underworld crime are going on in an organised manner.
The National Police Commission and the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission have received many complaints regarding people who have been arrested by the Police during the ‘Yukthiya’ operation.
(Daily News)
(This story, originally published by Daily News has not been edited by SLM staff)
