Journalist Kalpa Gunaratne was arrested and later released on bail following an incident at the Colombo International Book Fair. The incident in question occurred near a sales stall, where a dispute escalated involving a bouncer, hired externally by the organizing entity, and a customer. The bouncer, tasked with preventing book thefts, allegedly verbally abused the customer for exiting through the entrance door.
The confrontation did not end with verbal abuse, as the bouncer reportedly struck the customer with a force severe enough to cause injury. The employees of the institution involved attempted to resolve the matter internally.
However, in accordance with proper procedures, incidents like this must be reported to the police. Despite the presence of police officers at the scene, none took immediate action. Instead, they arrested Kalpa Gunaratne, a journalist who was recording the incident, in what appears to be an overreach of authority by the BMICH police.
Following the arrest, Gunaratne has taken steps to file a fundamental rights petition against the police for wrongful arrest. A video of the incident, capturing the events in full, has been shared by him.
