The Full Story of Dehiwala Traffic OIC Interdicted After Leaving Duty Due to Workplace Stress
September 11, Colombo (LNW): The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for the Mount Lavinia Division recently interdicted the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Traffic Branch at the Dehiwala Police Station after the officer logged an entry stating he was unable to perform his duties due to severe mental stress and temporarily left his post.
The interdicted officer has been identified as Inspector of Police (IP) Praneeth Udayanga. Below is the complete detail surrounding the incident.
Background of the Incident
On September 02, IP Praneeth Udayanga reported for duty at the Dehiwala Police Station. Facing severe mental strain from workplace pressure, he made a formal note in the Information Book regarding his condition and temporarily left the station. When he returned to report for duty the following day (September 03), he was reportedly denied permission to resume his duties.
Dehiwala is a highly congested, densely populated suburb bordering the Colombo Municipal Council limits. Managing the traffic division in this area is notoriously complex. Police sources reveal that while there are around 20 designated deployment points requiring at least 40 traffic officers, the Dehiwala Traffic Branch currently operates with just 13 officers. Furthermore, some of these 13 officers are frequently reassigned to other general policing duties.
Operating with less than a third of the required workforce places immense pressure on the unit. Reports indicate that IP Udayanga was even forced to handle routine administrative court paperwork himself. Despite working under such challenging conditions, he was frequently subjected to severe criticism from the Station House Officer (HQI) whenever traffic congestion built up within the police division.
Court Proceedings and Foreign Travel Ban Request
Following his departure, and acting on instructions from the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau (DCIB) launched an investigation. Arguing that the officer’s actions set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the force, police filed a “B Report” at the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court, requesting a foreign travel ban against him.
However, the Mount Lavinia Magistrate rejected the request and reprimanded the DCIB officers for their submission. The Magistrate directed the police to report back to court on September 24th only if concrete evidence of a criminal offense was uncovered against IP Udayanga.
Interdiction While Hospitalised
Despite the court’s rejection, the Mount Lavinia Senior Superintendent’s Office—acting on directives from IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya—issued an official interdiction order against IP Udayanga. The written notice informed him that he was suspended effective September 03 for violating the Police Disciplinary Code.
Notably, this suspension was served while the officer was admitted to a government hospital receiving treatment for stress and exhaustion caused by his workload—a move widely criticised as inhumane.
Systemic Issues and Broader Context
The Sri Lanka Police Service currently faces an estimated shortage of nearly 40,000 personnel. Nationwide, there are only around 7,000 traffic officers tasked with managing a vehicle population exceeding 11 million—including over 1.4 million motor cars. Under such circumstances, severe pressure on traffic officers, particularly branch heads, is inevitable.
Sources confirm that IP Udayanga is a father of three, with his youngest child being just one month old. As the sole breadwinner for his family, the loss of employment poses a severe financial threat. Observers note that senior police leadership should handle such human resource issues with greater empathy and understanding.
Different individuals possess varying capacities to handle stress, often exacerbated by personal and financial circumstances. If an officer succumbs to severe occupational stress, authorities could have considered temporary reassignment to a less demanding station. Instead, seeking a court-issued travel ban and suspending an officer under medical care reflects a failure in compassionate administration.
This incident leaves the public asking a poignant question: If the police department treats its own officers this way, how can the public expect fair treatment?
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