The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Kandy and Matale districts, Sudath Masinghe, has requested that the police do not use force to control the crowds who have come to worship the Tooth Relic tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
He said that there are already enough people waiting in the queues for about two to three days, and that at times the unrest in the queues has escalated into conflict situations, and the army has had to be called in to control them.
‘Last night, at around 1 pm, the people who were standing in the Katugastota area, the people who came from Kurunegala, Matale and Ampitiya roads, had come to Katugastota in large numbers because there was no space on both sides. The Katugastota road had also come from the Madawala road. In fact, when Ampitiya ran out of space, a large number of people came to that side.
About two thousand people were on the old Katugastota iron bridge. That was a abandoned bridge . The people those who boded on iron bridge was removed with great difficulty. If they had not been removed during last night, the old beidge may to be collapsed. If such thing happend there may be large number of casualties. Because the RDA said that they cant take the take the responsibility of the old beidge.
But the public those who gathered on the bridge refused to move out . Later, we had to call in additional troops from the Sri Lanka Army. That is how we removed them.”
These views were expressed during a media discussion held by Senior DIG in charge of the Central Province Lalith Pathinayake and DIG in charge of the Kandy and Matale districts Sudath Masinghe regarding the Sri Dalada Maligawa pilgrimage.