Five police officers, including the then OIC of the Bharatipuram Police Station in the Trincomalee District, have been sentenced to life imprisonment with rigorous imprisonment after being convicted of an incident that occurred 26 years ago.
The judgment was delivered by North Central Provincial High Court Judge, Manoj Thalgodapitiya.
Indictments were filed against them for their presence in the police station during an incident where eight unarmed Tamils were brought to the station and subsequently shot by an armed group.
Two other police officers were acquitted of the charges. The convicted individuals are Inspector of Police R. M. Ranaraja Bandara, who served as the OIC of the Bharatipuram Police Station in the Kantale division, Sub Inspector G. L. Somaratne, Police Sergeants Chandraratne Bandara, K. M. Nihal Prematilake, and R. Somaratne Bandara Mediwela.
They were charged with being part of an unlawful assembly that committed the crime.
