What is the Batalanda Report?

Following a disastrous interview with Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan by former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Batalanda report and his role in facilitating torture has come into the spotlight.

We take a look at the report and at Wickremesinghe’s alleged role.

What is the Batalanda Report?

Established in 1995 under then Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga, the Batalanda Commission Report investigated the alleged use of Batalanda Housing Scheme as a secret detention and torture facility between 1988 and 1990 during the violent suppression of the second Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurrection.

At the heart of these allegations was Ranil Wickremesinghe, the then Minister of Youth Affairs and later Minister of Industries, accused of enabling and overseeing these operations. The report, handed over to Kumaratunga on 27 March 1998 and published as Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2000, details accounts of enforced disappearances, systematic torture, extrajudicial killings, and political cover-ups.

The Second JVP Insurrection and State Repression

The JVP insurrection (1987–1989) marked one of the bloodiest periods in Sri Lanka’s history. Initially a Marxist movement, the JVP evolved into an anti-government armed rebellion, targeting state institutions and security forces. The Sri Lankan government responded with brutal counterinsurgency tactics, leading to the deaths of an estimated 40,000–60,000 people, many of whom were summarily executed or disappeared.

The security forces—including the police, military, and paramilitary death squads—were given sweeping powers to detain, interrogate, and eliminate suspected JVP members. Among the many illegal detention sites used for torture and killings, Batalanda Housing Scheme in Sapugaskanda became infamous.

Batalanda: A torture chamber disguised as a housing scheme

The Batalanda Housing Scheme, a government-owned residential complex, was allegedly converted into an illegal detention and interrogation centre. The Kelaniya Police Counter-Subversive Unit (CSU) was identified as the primary force responsible for operations at Batalanda.

Torture and extrajudicial killings

Survivor testimonies and police informants described Batalanda as a site of systematic torture, where suspected JVP members and sympathisers were subjected to:
•    Severe beatings and electric shocks
•    Waterboarding and suffocation
•    Burning with heated metal rods
•    Rape and sexual violence
•    Forced confessions under duress

Many detainees never left Batalanda alive. Their bodies were either:
•    Secretly disposed of in mass graves
•    Burned using rubber tyres to destroy evidence
•    Dumped in rivers or abandoned locations

One of the most chilling findings was the use of “tyre pyres”—a method where bodies were placed inside burning tyres to erase all traces of evidence.

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s alleged role

During the commission hearings, several witnesses directly implicated Ranil Wickremesinghe, alleging that:
•    He facilitated the creation of the illegal detention centre at Batalanda.
•    He provided political cover for the security forces operating there.
•    He personally visited the Batalanda site, where detainees were tortured and killed.

Despite mounting evidence, no legal action was taken against Wickremesinghe. The commission ultimately ruled that he bore “political responsibility” for Batalanda’s operations but did not recommend prosecution, allowing him to continue his political career.

Who is Vincent Fernando?

Vincent Fernando was a caretaker employed by the National Youth Services Council, an institution that fell under the purview of Ranil Wickremesinghe during his tenure as Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment.

The name was brought up directly to Wickremesinghe by Mehdi Hasan, in an interview aired on Al Jazeera last week.

Fernando was initially stationed at a circuit bungalow in Nilaveli, Trincomalee, where he became acquainted with Wickremesinghe, who frequently stayed at the premises during official visits. This association led to Fernando being handpicked by Wickremesinghe to serve as the caretaker of his personal circuit bungalow at the Batalanda Housing Scheme in Biyagama, an area that later became notorious for its alleged use as a detention and torture site during the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection.

•    Fernando officially assumed duties at the Batalanda circuit bungalow on April 1, 1982, after receiving a letter of appointment from the National Youth Services Council.
•    His responsibilities included maintaining the residence, preparing meals for Wickremesinghe, and managing household affairs.
•    He worked there in two separate stints: from 1982 to 1985 and then again from 1987 to 1994, during the peak of the counterinsurgency campaign.

During this period, Batalanda Housing Scheme became infamous for reports of enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, and extrajudicial killings. The site was allegedly used by police death squads under ASP Douglas Peiris to abduct and kill suspected insurgents of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Fernando, as the bungalow’s caretaker, witnessed high-profile police officers frequenting the premises for meetings with Wickremesinghe.

Vincent Fernando provided critical testimony to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Batalanda, implicating Wickremesinghe directly in discussions concerning illegal detentions and extrajudicial killings.

He testified that officers regularly visited the circuit bungalow and engaged in discussions about “subversive activity”. He also recalled hearing Wickremesinghe instructing police officers with the chilling phrase “Get them out,” which he understood to mean executing detainees.

Fernando further disclosed that several houses within the Batalanda complex were used for detention and torture, particularly B1, B4, B8, and a house next to A 1/8, where he reportedly witnessed a detainee being hung.

Fernando’s sudden and mysterious death shortly before the commission concluded its hearings raised serious concerns. At the time of his death in 1998, he was only 36 years old. The circumstances surrounding his passing were never investigated, as the commission lacked the authority to probe unexplained deaths.

What has happened now?

In a fiery Al Jazeera interview aired last week, Wickremesinghe claimed that the report does not exist as it had not been officially tabled in parliament.

When confronted with a government inquiry naming him as a “main architect” of securing the site, Wickremesinghe first denied the report’s existence, before backtracking and questioning its validity.

“Where is the report?” he remarked with his hands folded. “I deny all those allegations… where is that commission?”

“There is nothing to be found against me… I am telling you there is no report.”

A copy of the report was shared by the International Truth and Justice Project and held up by former BBC Sri Lanka correspondent Frances Harrison during the interview, who said she was “flabbergasted”. “It shows the impunity that he is supporting. It’s absolutely shocking”

In the aftermath of the interview, the Sri Lankan government announced that they would be tabling the report, as well as launching a fresh inquiry into allegations against Wickremesinghe, including his alleged role in the Batalanda torture camp, the Central Bank bond scam, and the Easter Sunday attacks.

Speaking to reporters, Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Sunil Watagala stated that the government would take “necessary steps” to investigate Wickremesinghe, particularly with regard to the Batalanda report, which was raised during the Al Jazeera interview.

“The NPP government is committed to transparency and will take action on all accusations, where Wickremesinghe previously received political protection,” said Watagala.

Read the full text of the report here.