Sumith Prasanna’s body being exhumed

The body of 29-year-old Sumith Prasanna Jayawardena, who sustained fatal injuries during a confrontation with the police on 4 January is being exhumed now on court orders, the Ada Derana reporter confirmed.

The court issued the order to exhume the body on the 10th of March in order to conduct a second post mortem examination in its response to a request made by the Attorney General’s Department.

State counsel appearing for the Attorney General’s Department requested the court to grant permission for a new postmortem examination to be carried out by a panel of Judicial Medical Officers. The Counsel informed court that the report submitted by the Ratnapura Hospital JMO and the evidence was contradictory.

The Judicial Medical Officer’s report released last month on the death of Jayawardena has concluded that the death has occurred as a result of the excessive hemorrhage due to the injuries sustained to internal organs.

The family claims that he was pushed by the police while police say he jumped on his own will from a three storey building.

The former Embilipitiya Assistant Superintendent of Police was arrested in connection with thePrasanna’s death.