The Sri Lankan military police has dismissed the charges of the wife of former army chief and defeated Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka that he was manhandled and assaulted while being taken into custody.
Fonseka's wife Anoma had claimed that her husband was dragged from his office while being arrested.
'Military police personnel who went to take Fonseka into custody on charges of military offences have neither beaten him nor harassed him on that occasion as reported in a section of the media,' the army said in a statement.
Anoma had said on Wednesday: "He (Fonseka) was dragged away in a humiliating manner."
Dismissing her charge, the Army said: 'In fact, the military police personnel on reaching the place of arrest informed General Fonseka of their intended arrest but he repeatedly rejected to comply with the process, compelling those military police personnel to take him out despite his remarks and refusals."
Medical care as well as all other facilities has been made available to General Fonseka as required contrary to claims published in certain media reports, the statement said.
Anoma and Fonseka's lawyer Wijedasa Rajapaksa on Tuesday visited the detained General at a senior residential apartment at Navy Headquarters and spoke to him for about three hours.
Anoma and New Democratic Front Secretary Shamila Perera filed a petition for and on behalf of Fonseka, which stated that commencing immediately upon his proclamation as the common opposition candidate during the recently concluded presidential election, there were additional security threats posed on him by those opposing his candidature.
This included direct and/or indirect threats from the incumbent administration, who were fielding the President as a candidate for re-election to office, the Daily Mirror reported.
"Thee petition was filed for the alleged infringement of his fundamental rights to the freedom of thought and conscience, freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment," it said.
The petition also complained of the alleged infringement of the right to equality and equal protection of the law, freedom from discrimination on the grounds of political opinion, freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, freedom from unlawful detention, freedom of speech and expression and freedom of association guaranteed in the Constitution.
