2.5.4 Police curfew declared in Rambukkana At around 8:30 pm, a police curfew was declared in the town of Rambukkana until further notice.47 2.5.5 Statements issued by senior government officials At around 10:30 pm, media reports emerged of a statement issued by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. C. D. Wickramaratne: “The Inspector General of Police (IGP) reveals that the Police had to use minimum force against the protesters in Rambukkana today. In a statement, the IGP said that the police resorted to minimum force to prevent a group from setting fire to a bowser containing 30,000 litres of fuel. The measures were taken to prevent huge damages that may have been caused as a result, he said. The IGP also said that steps are being taken for a Police Headquarters level investigation to ascertain if the Police had used excess force when dispersing protestors at Rambukkana. One person has died and several people are in a critical condition after the Police opened fire to disperse a group of protesters who were engaged in a peaceful protest demanding for fuel.”48 Further, the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Maj Gen (ret) Jagath de Alwis stated that steps are being taken to conduct an investigation to determine whether the police had used excessive force when dispersing protestors at Rambukkana.49 2.6 Developments on 20 April 2022 2.6.1 Committee appointed by Ministry of Public Security Media reports revealed the following statement by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Maj Gen (ret) Jagath de Alwis, was issued the day after the events at Rambukkana: “A three-member committee has been appointed to look into whether the police used excessive force in suppressing the Rambukkana protest, said Maj. Gen. (retd) Jagath Alwis, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Defense. He said that a Secretary to a State Ministry, an Additional Secretary to the Ministry and the Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Defense have been appointed to this committee. The Secretary to the ‘Curfew imposed on Rambukkana until further notice’ Lankadeepa, 19 April 2022. https://www.lankadeepa. lk/latest_news/%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%90%E0%B7%80%E0%B6%AD-%E0%B6%AF%E0%B7%90%E0%B6%B 1%E0%B7%94%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8A-%E0%B6%AF%E0%B7%99%E0%B6%B1%E0%B6%AD%E0%B7%94 %E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%94-%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B9%E0%B7%94%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%9A%E0 %B6%B1%E0%B6%A7-%E0%B6%87%E0%B6%B3%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%92-%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%93%E0%B6%AD%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%BA/1-611729 48 ‘Rambukkana shooting: IGP’s statement’ News Wire, 19 April 2022. https://www.newswire.lk/2022/04/19/ rambukkana-shooting-igps-statement/ 49 ‘IGP issues statement on police shooting during Rambukkana protest’ News Wire, 19 April 2022. http://www.adaderana.lk/news/81926/igp-issues-statement-on-police-shooting-during-rambukkana-protest 47 13