2.5.2 The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka calls for special report At around 8pm, retired Supreme Court Judge Rohini Marasinghe, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) made a statement to the media that a special team had been appointed by the Commission to investigate the Rambukkana shooting incident.43 2.5.3 Allegations against police on social media A series of videos filmed by persons in the area were circulated on Twitter alleging involvement of police officers in events that led to the escalation of the situation at Rambukkana: i. One video showed persons in the area, reporting that they saw police officers light a threewheeler on fire and run away. The video was uploaded on Twitter between 8-9pm, but presumably filmed earlier, as it is day time in the video.44 ii. Another video circulating on social media showed police officers assaulting a person in Rambukkana. Many police officers can be seen in the video; three police officers can be seen assaulting and pushing a man around, and then pulling him by the hair towards and into the police vehicle. The video was uploaded on Twitter between 8-9pm, but presumably filmed earlier, as it is day time in the video.45 iii. A witness was reported to have said to the media that a person associated with Mr. DilumAmunugama (Minister of Transport) had tried to set fire to the fuel station and that he and others had put off the fire. He had also stated that the Secretary of Minister Amunugama was staying at a hotel called Villa Pinnawela nearby. The same witness said that “they” (presumably police) had threatened to hang him in a room and beat him if he informed the Magistrate about this. A video was circulating on social media that showed a group of protesters putting out a fire at the Rambukkana fuel station.46 ‘Rambukkana shooting: HRCSL calls for special report’ News First, 19 April 2022. https://www.newsfirst. lk/2022/04/19/rambukkana-shooting-hrcsl-calls-for-special-report/ 44 ‘IsharaDanasekara - #Rambukkana incident- A police men set fire to this (threewheeler) & ran, he came from this side, these boys saw him, this brother saw him. Video released by a citizen circulates in #SocialMedia. Police media spokesperson said earlier that protesters set fire to the threewheeler’ Twitter, 19 April 2022. https://twitter.com/ IsharaDanasekar/status/1516435732516147203 45 ‘News Wire - Video circulating in Facebook, Sri Lanka Police brutally assaulting protesters’ Twitter, 19 April 2022. https://twitter.com/NewsWireLK/status/1516436047407636484?t=luPzOJqX_0FSxBAcZ_MwbQ&s=08 46 “News Wire - Video footage shows a group of protesters putting out a fire at the Rambukkana fuel station” Twitter, 19 April 2022. https://twitter.com/NewsWireLK/status/1516455383375626244 43 12