A DIG’s fall from grace - what does this tell us?

The Ceylon Today, one of the few newspapers worth reading carried a detailed story on the recent murder of a businessman, allegedly carried out by a DIG of police.

A summary of the critical issues raised in the story are:

a. it appears the DIG was taking on assignments to assassinate individuals on a regular basis;

b. a police squad appears to have been carrying out abductions, whether for political reasons or for gain we do not know, possibly for both;

c. an extortion racket, probably connected to (b) above was also being run. Other businessmen have apparently now come forward with various allegations of extortion.

A DIG, as per the police organisation structure is the second most senior officer in the force, which means, if true, the above crimes are being carried at the very highest levels of the force.

Why has this come to light?

Only because the murdered businessman was connected to the President, so a green light was given to investigate.

Note that his connections, being unknown to his assailants, were not enough to save his life. They at least allowed an investigation into his death.

What lessons must the public draw from this?

If such a senior policeman was running such a heinous crime ring there must have been complete apathy or incompetence from the IGP and from the Minister concerned.

If incompetence were not the problem, the official complicity must be in place. The reactions of the people in charge should offer us a clue.

If the ministers concerned, IGP and fellow officers express shock at this outrage, take responsibility for their inactions and show some willingness to correct the problem then we have some reassurance. At least they acknowledge the problem. A credible independent inquiry into the matter to discover the root causes is imperative.

If there is silence at the top, a few bland statements and the whole issue is swept under the carpet then we know what conclusions to draw.

The only thing is what do other businessmen need to do? Perhaps wear a T shirt that says "I am a friend of the Prez, don't touch me"? Perhaps a secret handshake or a ring that would indicate that they were untouchable?

And for the rest?

Deiyyo Saakki?

Update: more explosive revelations here.  You may need to use a proxy server since the site is inaccessible via SLT. The link is below:

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2013/06/disgraced-dig-vass-is-only-tip-of.html