The Criminal Investigation Department of Sri Lanka has formally admitted to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka that retired Major General Suresh Sallay, the former head of the State Intelligence Service, was subjected to a strip search in the presence of other detainees. This admission marks a significant escalation in the ongoing controversy surrounding his custody. Sallay, who was arrested on February 25, 2026, remains a high-profile figure within the sweeping investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. The commission launched its inquiry following desperate appeals from the retired military officer’s family, who alleged that the state apparatus was weaponizing detention conditions to inflict dehumanizing and degrading treatment upon him.
The Human Rights Commission has now responded with a rigorous oversight mandate, effectively challenging the operational integrity of the detention facility. In a direct directive to the police officers who were on duty during the March 8 incident, the commission has ordered the immediate surrender of a comprehensive evidentiary record. This includes the formal standard operating procedures governing detainee searches, detailed logs of all such operations conducted throughout the current year, and, most crucially, the relevant CCTV footage from the detention site. The commission is also demanding the identities of every officer involved in the strip search, signaling a firm intent to hold individual actors accountable for the alleged violation of standard dignity protocols.
Beyond the specific allegations of misconduct, the commission is aggressively scrutinizing the procedural legality of the entire detention process. The authorities have been explicitly ordered to provide documentation confirming exactly when the presiding magistrate and the Human Rights Commission were formally notified of the detention order, as is required under established legal frameworks. These critical documents, alongside the requested footage and the names of the involved personnel, must be submitted for official review on or before June 26, 2026.
