Indictments have been filed in the High Court, Gampaha, against two Army intelligence officers over the assault of veteran journalist and prominent newspaper editor Upali Tennekoon and his wife in 2009.

Attorney General Dappula de Livera has filed indictments for assault and causing grievous injuries to Tennekoon, who had been Chief Editor of the ‘Rivira’ newspaper at the time, and his wife.

The Co-ordinating Officer to the Attorney General, State Counsel Ms. Nishara Jayaratne told news media that the indictments were filed against Army Warrant Officer Prema Ananda Udulagama and Army Intelligence Officer Lalith Rajapaksa under section 317 of the Penal Code for causing grievous injuries to the former Editor and his wife Dhammika Malkanthi. The two accused had been attached to the Tripoli Military Intelligence Platoon of the Sri Lanka Army.

According to the indictment, on January 23, 2009, around 6:40 a.m., Upali Tennakoon and his wife had been travelling in their car and were blocked by four by four motorcyclists when their car was turning on to the main road from a by-road at Imbulgoda in Kadawatha.

Tennakoon had stopped the car upon entering the main road when he saw two men wearing helmets and jackets standing on the side of the road. The men had then hit the windscreen of his vehicle using stakes. While one of them had hit his head and face, the other was holding a sharp knife and a stake in his hand. Tennekoon’s wife had intervened to save him and also got hurt in the attack. Following the incident, the two victims had been admitted to the Colombo General Hospital.

The medical reports have confirmed that Upali Tennakoon had sustained one grievous injury and four non grievous injuries and his wife had sustained non-grievous injuries.