Heated exchange in Parliament over police transfers

A heated situation arose in Parliament today (8) during the session chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, centered on the issue of Police transfers.

The Chief Opposition Whip, Gayantha Karunathilaka, first questioned the government regarding a reported process of transferring Police powers away from the National Police Commission (NPC) and delegating them to the Inspector General of Police (IGP). He urged the government to halt this process.

Following him, MP Dayasiri Jayasekara pointed out that transfers have been consistently handled by the NPC since 2017 and that shifting this authority to the IGP now is unwarranted. He further claimed that 32 Police Station OICs and several Senior Deputy Inspectors General of Police (Senior DIGs) have already been transferred without the approval of the NPC.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa also weighed in, stating that the main objective of the NPC is depoliticisation, and urged the government not to turn the Police Commission into a "puppet or scarecrow" of the administration.

MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara accused the government of threatening the Police Commission.

The continuous input from several Opposition MPs, including Chaminda Wijesiri and Sujeewa Senasinghe, and the responses from the government side created a tense atmosphere in the chamber.

In response to the concerns, Speaker Wickramaratne suggested that the matter be referred to the Constitutional Council.

Government Chief Whip, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, defended the process, stating that the transfers were taking place in accordance with the Police Commission's decisions.

He claimed that the Police Commission had willingly delegated certain matters to the IGP, and importantly, this new structure now allows for appeals to be submitted to the NPC. The Minister contrasted this with the previous system, where transfers made directly by the NPC offered no avenue for appeal.

Several Opposition MPs countered the government's stance by claiming the administration was systematically moving towards a Police State, a charge that the government side firmly rejected.