Postal hostel keys returned following polls compaint

By Franklin R.Satyapalan

The Assistant Commissioner of Elections (Batticaloa District) Asanga Ratnayake yesterday said that on the direction of Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya he had personally ensured that the OIC Eravur Police, CI Kanchana Godakumbura, handed over the keys of the Postal Hostel to the representative of the Deputy Post Master General (DPMG) of Batticaloa on Friday

He rejected the allegation of the Executive Director of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE), Keerthi Tennakoon, that the UPFA was utilizing this Postal Hostel building as it’s campaign office in the Eravur electorate and accused the OIC of aiding and abetting this.

CAFFE said that the OIC had taken custody of the keys of the hostel in the upper floor of a building and said that they would be returned after the election is over.Assistant Commissioner Ratnayake said that this matter was blown out of proportion.

Many attempts to contact Tennakoon of CAFFE to ascertain whether the keys had been handed over failed.

Ratnayake said that he visited the Eravur area to inquire into the matter and found that the Postal hostel building had been rented out from the owners by some UPFA supporters and following discussions with the present occupants requested them to hand over the keys.

``After this inquiry I also advised the OIC of the Eravur Police in writing that he should ensure that the keys were handed over to a representative of the DPMG until such time that matters could be sorted out after the elections were over.

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