My name is M.F.M.Isthikar. I am a businessman and father of two children. On 09.06.2008 around 5pm to 5.30pm I went to the pharmacy. I saw people were running on the road .I asked somebody why? He told me an elephant in the temple was stampede. So I also went to the temple and was standing near the post of the temple. The elephant was chained. The mahout was trying to calm down the elephant.

 After few minutes a person came from my back slapped on my ear. All the people turned back and looked at me. I also looked back. I saw a policeman in uniforms. He told me to go and tell anybody. The people were also remaining silent. I was upset and couldn’t think what was happened to me, I was ashamed and angry. Then the policeman asked my name and where do I live. I told. I told that I am a resident of Attalugama, Bandaragama. He then told me he assaulted me because of my own good.

 The chained elephant was taken out of the temple. The crowed gathered around me. Both the Sinhalese and Muslims came closer to me and said you were assaulted without any reason and we must take some action against this injustice. They also mentioned that police couldn’t assault people without any valid reason. I felt courageous. After that I came home.

 When I came home my mother also knew that I was assaulted. She too blamed the policeman. She cried and praised him bad luck. All the people in the village were against the injustice caused to me. At night there was a pain in both my ear and cheek. Whole night I was not sleep. Next day I put a small piece of cloth inside the ear and I saw blood in it. I didn’t feel any sense in the ear. The sound like ho ho came through it. I got the feeling that I want to do something for this. I went to the shop. The villagers came to me and accompanied me to the Janasansadaya. There we made complaints to the relevant authorities.

 After that we went to the Kalubowila hospital. They said there was damage in my ear. They gave me medicine for a month period. The ENT surgeon also inspect me and advice me to attend clinic. Next we complained to the Panadaura police. The police officer who inquired my case took a telephone call to the perpetrated police officer and questioned. The name of the alleged perpetrated police officer is Mahesh.

 I heard that he was saying that I was closer to the elephant and there was a danger to my life. He said that he assaulted me because of my own sake. Then the police officer who had taken the telephone call said any danger may cause to him why did you assault him and injure his ear? He further asked that could you assault people like that way. After that I went home.

 Up to date I have pain in my ear. I filled a Fundamental rights case before the country’s highest court and case is still pending. I have the attitude to stop such type of police assault against innocent people.

 After I sue, the alleged perpetrator Mahesh telephoned me. He is attached to the Bandaragama police station. He begged me not to take further actions with the case. He also proposed me to come to a settlement. He too promised with money and further said this was happened with out any common sense. He gave me telephone calls number of occasions. His wife to telephoned me and asked me to pardon her husband and also promised to give money.

My name is Ilandari Pedige Siriyawathi. I live in Thalpe North, Unawatuna ,Matara. I am 43 years old. I am a Sinhala Buddhist. This incident was happened on 06.11.2008.

I am a secondary victim. The name of my son is Praneeth Eranga Jayalath. He is 14 years old. He studies at Yatagala Malkam College, Galle.

On 06.11.2008 my son went to school as usual. During the Geographic period a class mate of my son showed the cover of my son’s exercise book which he was writing to the teacher named Mr.Siril. This book was given to my son by Janasansadaya as a gift. The book cover consists the circular of the education ministry which prohibited corporal punishment in schools.

The teacher called Mr.Siril told my son were you come to rule us? First you correct yourself before correcting us. After that this teacher showed the exercise book to the principal of the school. The name of the principal of the school is Mr.R.W.Chandrasiri. Then both my son and the student called Sadun were taken to the principal’s office. Then the principal asked them did we assault you earlier? My son answered yes. Then principal said you can go to the human rights.

The principal told both my son and Sadun to bring two pieces of papers. When they brought he forced them to write what was mentioned in the circular of the exercise book. Then the paper was stapled to my sons shirt and asked to walk around the school to show it to all the other students and teachers. So both Sadun and my son walked around the school in the afternoon under the hot weather. My son told me that he was unable to tolerate the shame at that moment.

My son told this incident to me on the 7^th. On the 7^th I asked my son why he didn’t go to school. Then he described this incident. I felt sorry for my son and furious about the principal.

After that I alone came to the Janasansadaya sub office in Galle. They told me to accompany my son. So I went there with my son. We made complaints to the relevant authorities.

After that the principal of the school tortured my son in various ways. When my son made a joke to a female student the principal blamed him saying you were not suitable to this school you were good for the human rights and told my son to tell me not to come to school even to take my younger son.

This way the principal was harassing my son. Every time this type of thing happened I couldn’t tolerate my suffering for my son. I got angry with the principal.

Every time this type of harassment occurred I came to the Janasansadaya and made complaints to the relevant authorities.

Some people in my village told me not to make teachers enemies by going to human rights. They also said they can’t grow up their children because of the human rights. They further said as a result of human rights they couldn’t do their work at the police station. But I didn’t care about those comments. Every time I heard those things I think I will not step back which I put forward.

One day Habaraduwa police came to our house and said to come to the women and child bureau in Colombo. I went there at 7am early in the morning on the said date. I waited there. One woman police constable came and asked why? I told the incident. She told me to sit down.

I was stayed there until 10.30am I told a policeman and he sent me to a woman police constable who was inside. She asked me what the problem was. I narrated my son’s story regarding the exercise book. I also showed the book to her. Then she told me the people who published this shouldn’t do things like this. These things make children mischievous further. She also said it was natural that the principal got angry after seen this book. After that she started to blame me.

At this moment my eyes were filled with tears. I felt that I was desperate. I got angry both with the principal and this woman police constable. I found money for the bus fair to come to this place by debt to a person in the village. Again they told me to sit down. I was sitting there for more than half an hour. I felt hungry because I didn’t eat. Once again I talked to a police officer and he sent me to the OIC’s room.

The OIC blamed me saying at first you had to file a case against Janasansadaya. He also told me to not to come hurriedly saying that you couldn’t brought up your children. I told him that I couldn’t get late. After that he sent me to another woman police constable.

When I went to her she called me mother and said why you gave this type of books to your children. She also said to remove the cover of the book and put another cardboard file. She had written something in a book and took my signature without read it to me.

She also asked my son to come there and said don’t take these books to school and if you take put a cover. She also took my son’s signature to a statement. But didn’t explain it.

The day we went to Colombo one of my son’s teachers in the school named Amitha has showed toffee, chocolate and a hundred rupee note to my younger son and asked where did your mother go? My son told her that we went to Karapitya hospital to take medicine as I  taught him earlier.

After coming from Colombo we went to Janasansadaya again and made complaints and posted them to relevant authorities.

When my elder son went to school the said teacher Mr.Siril asked how much a 1kg of Human Rights? When my son came home and said this I got angry. I felt sorry for my son. We didn’t complain to the police because it is useless.

The father of my children told me not to involve these types of things. He sometimes blames me. But I said I didn’t stop my fight until the justice will achieve.

The teachers of the school also told my younger son that your mother went to human rights for everything but not come to work at school. They passed hints for me.

Janasansadaya has made a victim solidarity group in our village. Some villagers are also not like this. They have passed hints saying that I became the mayor. On the day the VSG was made I was very happy. I am pleased because the people at Janasansadaya have come to my small poor house.

Shama Nisansala is a 14 year old girl. She studies at Nebada Maha Vidyalaya. She is in grade 10. She resides at Nabada. Her address is Kapuge stores bare, Huggewatta , Pahala Kudaligama, Nebada.

She has a younger brother who is a grade 3 student in her same school and a younger sister who goes to Pre School. Her younger brother’s name is Saman Nissanka and her younger sister’s name is Shyami Nisansala.

Hewage Ramani is their loving mother. She is 32 years old. Their father is Hewage Simon. He is 39 years old. He hasn’t a permanent job.

Before they got married Hewage Ramani and Hewage Simon both worked at a garment factory in Biyagama Free Trade Zone. Their love affair resulted in marriage. After they had two children Ramani went abroad. She worked as a house maid in Kuwait for two years. She came to Sri Lanka because she heard that her husband was having an affair with another woman. After coming to Sri Lanka she went to work again in a garment factory in Girikola.

After sometime she went to see the woman who was said to be having an affair with her husband. She asked her to think of the two children and stop the affair with her husband. The woman refused. Ramani assaulted her in anger and went back home.

Some time after this incident Ramani again went to meet this woman with her daughter. At that time Ramani was nine months pregnant. This time in anger and frustration she threw acid on the woman. 

When her time was complete to give birth to her third child she went to Kandy her native place and had the child. She was arrested by the Sapugaskanda police 15 days after the child birth on the charge of murder.

The police gave the custody of her elder daughter and son to their grandmother while she was allowed to keep the new born baby with her in prison. Two of her relatives signed for bail and released her. She came home and stayed at home for three months. Ramani forgot to report to the courts on the said date in accordance with her bail conditions. One relative who signed for bail was also unable to report to the courts. So Ramani was again remanded.

At prison Ramani is called by a number. Her number is 895. Now she is in the women’s ward in Welikada prison. Her case is pending in the Gampaha High Court. Her case number is 149/07.

Now the three children of Ramani are living in an unsafe environment. Shama the eldest goes to pluck tea on weekends. Some men in the neighborhood have already begun to make ugly proposals to her. The only hope of these three children is the release of their mother as soon as possible. They do not like to leave their home and village and go to children’s home. They like to live together as a family under a one roof.

Names and addresses are changed for obvious reasons