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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.
882 /10
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH--NOT TO
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9. Rankotapedigedera Rankira, Vidane Duraya of Matgomuwa.
10. Talapatwadane Mudiyanselagedera Punchi Banda, Peace Officer
of Dantura.
11. Henry Thomas Gurusinghe,
Peace Officer Pinto, affd.
Present in custody.
I am Peace Officer, Kadugannawa. I know these eleven accused. The first accused is the Arachchi of Teldeniya It is about three miles from Kadugannawa. The second is the Vidane Duraya of Balana, which is about two miles from Kadu- gannawa. The third is the Vidane Duraya of Mamaduwela, which is about half a mile from Kadugannawa. The fourth is the Vidane Duraya of Lagomuwa, one- and-a-half miles from Kadugannawa. The fifth is the Rabbegomuwa vidane: Rabbegomuwa is three-and-a-half miles from Kadugannawa. Sixth is the Kotali- goda vidane Seventh is the Arachchi of Pallemulla, which is two miles from Kadugannawa. Eighth is the Teldeniya Korala, two-and-a-half miles. Ninth is the Vidane of Matgomuwa, about one mile from Kadugannawa. Tenth is the Peace Officer of Dantura, three miles. Eleventh, Gurusinghe, is a schoolmaster of Manik- kawa, about three miles from Kadugannawa. I heard of the riots in Kandy on the 28th of May. On the 30th May, Sunday, there was unrest in Kadugannawa, and people kept flocking in during the day from outlying villages. There was no par- ticular cause to bring them to Kadugannawa. The Wesak festival was finished then. I saw the first accused at 4.0 p.m., near the railway goods shed. He had men with him. About 1.0 p.m. men were with him. They were Sinhalese. They were unarmed at the time. The first accused was in liquor. There were Moors who told me that they came to sack the mosque. I told them to disperse. The first accused said not to drive him or the people, and asked me to go away. He said they were his men. He asked me not to drive the mob. They did not go. I went to the Post Office I sent a telegram about 4.30. (Telegram shown.) This is the telegram I first sent to the Superintendent of Police, Kandy. Then I returned from the Post Office. The first accused was there on the road. About 400 or 500 men were with him. They were Sinhalese. I did not notice weapons at that time. In that crowd I saw only the first accused at that time. I again ordered them to disperse. spoke to the first accused. I asked him to go away with his people. He refused. I patrolled the town and tried to drive the people. Later the crowd reached about 10.000. It was at about 6.0 p.m. People kept continually coming. All Sinhalese At that stage I did not notice that they were armed. At that time I noticed first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and eleventh. I did not see the tenth. I am not quite sure that I saw the ninth I saw a man like that. I can swear that the others were there. I knew them before. I told them to go away with their men. I told all the men. Some of them said that they came to cash cheques, to buy provisions, etc. They promised to go, but they never went till 7.0 o'clock. Some said they came to see a carol party. There was no such carol party. I told these men to go away with their men. They all stayed till 7.0 p.m. I was there remaining in the town. The Korala (eighth) went at about 4.0 p.m. I did not see him after 4.0 p.m. I saw the ninth at 3.15, and not later than that. The sixth, Kotaligoda Duraya, was seen by me at 3.0 p.m. and not later. The rest were all there. Where the sixth and eighth accused went I don't know. The Kotaligoda Duraya went to his village. He told me that he was going to his village. After 7.0 there was still unrest in the crowd. At 7.0 they began to break houses. Then I got to my house. I
gave refuge to some Moors in my house. From my house I could hear great noise. I did not see any boutiques broken. I. remained in house till 1.0 a.m. Then the Inspector-General of Police came with a force in a car. Then I went out. I found that the mosque was damaged. Walls were broken and set fire to. I found about thirty Moor boutiques sacked, including the boutiques of P. Cader, Mohideen Kutty, K M Meera Mohideen Sevadu Mohamadu, Ahamed Sali, Mohideen Pichche, and M. K. A. Abdul Kadir; and also several others. The damage done is of some lakhs of rupees.
Cross-examined: I met first accused at about 4.0 p.m. He is a young man, little Over 21
At 4.0 o'clock I noticed he was drunk. I saw him a second time very shortly afterwards. He was no better. After that I met the first, at 4.30, in the same condition. When the Inspector-General of Police came he was found fast asleep in a Moor boutique I know the eleventh accused, Gurusinghe. He is a
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master of the Manikkawa School. He is about 55 or 56 years. He is never known to have been mixed up in a criminal case. I saw him at 6.0 p.m. first.
He was unarmed. Some of the people with him had clubs. He was on his way to Kandy. I saw him when he returned to Kadugannawa at 7.0 p.m. He was unarmed. I found him in the street. I did not see him do anything. The second accused is the head- man of Balana. It is a village with a few people. Whether there are only twenty- eight males or more I cannot say. Most of them are employed as railway coolies, etc. I have know this second accused from about twenty or thirty years. He has been headman for about eight years. I saw him actually at about 4.30 or 5.0 p.m. He was not armed. I saw the third accused at 4.10 at the back of the railway station. He also has been a headman for about six or seven years. I do not know if he has been ill a fortnight previously. For a devil-dancing ceremony it is usual to buy provisions, etc. In his village there are no Moorish boutiques. There are no boutiques at all there. I have known the fifth accused for about twenty or thirty years. His village is Udunuwara, five miles from Kadugannawa. Kadugannawa is in Yatinuwara. The fifth has four boutiques in Kadugannawa occupied by Moor- men. He comes to Kadugannawa occasionally, at the beginning or the end of the month. One of these boutiques rented by a Moorman was also broken. One of his boutiques at that time was vacant. I know some goods were found in that boutique, and those goods were returned to the Moorman in my presence. The Moorman admitted that he had left them there for safe keeping. I saw the fifth at about 3.30 p.m. He was not armed. I saw him in front of his boutique. I saw the sixth at about 3.0 p.m. No Moormen made complaints to me against him. Ninth lives at Matgomuwa. There is a mosque there. There are Moorish boutiques. Every one of them had been left intact-so I hear. Matgomuwa is about one-and-a-half miles from Kadugannawa.
There is a Sunday kade at Kadugannawa Large crowds come there from different villages to buy provisions there, and on this occasion there was a large crowd gathered there--the Sunday kade. I saw the fourth accused at about 4.30. I spoke to him. And afterwards I saw him too. He was not doing anything. He had no weapons. He was walking with his men in different places. I know his men. He is also a headman. I cannot say exactly for how many years he has been
in office. I have known him from twenty or thirty years. I know his village. I have been to that village, but not very often. That is a village containing about 200 or 800 men. I am not sure. He had twenty or thirty of his people. I saw them in the crowd. I recognized these people as having been in the crowd. I saw seventh at about 6.0 p.m. with Gurusinghe. They were both coming back. He had no weapon. I did not speak to him. I did not see him do anything out of order.
I saw the eighth accused in the Rum Fish Restaurant at about 4.10. I spoke to him. He said he came there to take the number of a case. He left then. That was the first and last time I saw him that day.
I did not see the tenth accused at all. Next morning Mr. Woodman came there Fourth accused came there then. There were Moormen also there. In my presence no complaint was made to Mr Woodman against him. Tenth accused also was there. Against him, too, no complaint was made in my presence.
Re-examined by Crown Counsel: The crowd at the Sunday kade that day was not an ordinary Sunday crowd. Houses were broken not only in Kadugannawa but at other places. From the start 100 or 200 were punished. First there was no time to hear all the complaints of the Moormen. I had my hands full at that time. I was continually coming to Kandy to the police station at that time. It was impos- sible for every Moorman to come and complain to me.
Sena A wanna Sawul Hamid, affd.
I am a trader in tea. Kadugannawa. My ship is near the mosque. I was in my shop on the 30th May. Crowds of outsiders came to the village in the day and afternoon, until they reached several thousands. They were Sinhalese. The crowd was much greater than the usual fair crowd. The place was in a state of unrest. There was some talk of a carol party. There was no such party. I saw the first accused at 4.0 or 4.30, near the mosque, in a crowd. The crowd was unarmed at the time. I knew the first accused well. I saw him again breaking down the mosque at about 7.30 or 8.0, with a crowd of Sinhalese, about 300 or 400. The crowd was armed at that time. The first accused was armed with a pickaxe. He went and struok at the mosque-at the wall. He ordered the crowd to break the mosque, sack
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