Parliament is scheduled to debate today what the Opposition describes as a move to transfer the powers of the National Police Commission to the IGP.
An agreement was reached by the Opposition and the ruling party to hold the debate.
A motion was presented by Opposition MP Sujeewa Senasinghe on Tuesday morning, seeking Parliament to intervene in safeguarding the powers of the National Police Commission.
A tense situation arose in Parliament yesterday (08) over the issue of police transfers.
Chief Opposition Whip Galle District MP Gayantha Karunathilaka demanded to know how police transfers were carried out by the IGP, bypassing the Police Commission. He called for an end to that practice.
Kuruengala District SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said that since 2017, police transfers had been handled by the National Police Commission, and that delegating its authority to the IGP, at this stage, would be inappropriate.
He pointed out that 32 SSPs and several DIGs had already been transferred without the approval of the National Police Commission.
In response, the Speaker said the matter would be referred to the Constitutional Council.
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the primary role of the National Police Commission was to ensure depoliticisation, and that it should not be reduced to a puppet of the government.
Comments from several Opposition MPs, including Chaminda Wijesiri, Sujeewa Senasinghe, and Ranjith Madduma Bandara, sparked heated arguments.
SJB Moneragala District MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara alleged that the government was intimidating the Police Commission.
Chief Government Whip Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that the transfers were being carried out in accordance with the Police Commission’s directives.
He said that in some cases, the Commission had granted the IGP permission to proceed and that there was now a mechanism in place for appeals to be submitted to the Commission.
The Minister clarified that previously there had been no provision for appeal regarding transfers made by the Commission, but that was now possible.
Several Opposition MPs claimed that the government was steadily moving toward establishing a police state.
The government rejected the allegation.
By Saman Indrajith