Salley Begins Hunger Strike Says Gammanpila

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Former Minister Udaya Gammanpila says retired Major General Suresh Salley, who is currently detained over investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks, has begun a hunger strike.

Speaking to the media, Gammanpila claimed that Salley launched the hunger strike in protest against alleged mistreatment while in police custody.

He alleged that Salley had been deeply distressed following what he described as poor conditions during detention, including being provided food in an improper manner, and that this led him to refuse meals and eventually begin the protest, refusing food, water and medication.

According to Udaya Gammanpila, Suresh Salley’s brother and son visited him at the CID this morning (07), where Salley was in a severely distressed state.

Gammanpila claimed that Salley was provided only a small portion of rice with curry for dinner last night. He further alleged that the food was served on a sheet of newspaper placed on the floor, and when Salley attempted to take the meal in his hand, the wet paper tore, causing the food to fall onto the ground. As a result, he was left to eat food off the floor.

He said Salley was mentally devastated by the incident and refused to eat dinner. Gammanpila further alleged that, in protest against what he described as inhumane treatment and degrading conditions under police custody carried out on orders from the President, Salley decided to begin a hunger strike from last night.

He also claimed that Salley, while in tears with his son, said he was being treated badly and questioned what crime he had committed to deserve such treatment.

According to Gammanpila, Salley has refused both food, water, and medication, stating that death would be preferable to living under such alleged conditions and false accusations.

However, the police issued a clarification rejecting these allegations.

The police stated that no assault or mistreatment has been carried out against Suresh Salley, and that he is being treated like any other suspect in custody.

They also emphasized that it is important to exercise restraint when making public statements on matters currently before court, and said Gammanpila’s claims were false.

Former Sri Lankan State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director, Suresh Salley is being detained and questioned under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 278 people on April 21 in 2019.

He has been named as the third suspect in the ongoing investigation.