Colombo: Fourteen police officers of the Padukka police station received lightning transfers yesterday within a few hours of a level crossing mishap where two persons including a child attending a Montessori were killed at Moragahatenna, Arukwatte while a school van was hit by a Colombo bound train.
Driver of the van R.A. Hemantha (39) and child Pasindu Malsara Samarasekera (05) were killed on the spot around 7am.
The van has dropped the other children at their schools and was taking Pasindu to a nearby Montessori when it stalled on the rail track.
Residents said there were no policemen in the vicinity when the tragedy struck and they only arrived after people pulled the victims out of the wrecked van but by then both victims were already dead.
The bodies of the victims were taken to the Padukka hospital.
A senior police officer however said the police transfers had nothing to do with the accident and it was based on service needs. All those transferred had served more than five years at the station, he said.
But, other police officers said there were many policemen who had been serving in various stations for more than 12 years.
The Island learns that among those transferred are a sergeant attached to the traffic division of the Padukka police station and a woman sergeant attached to its Women’s and Children’s Bureau.