Accordingly, the questioning of a Col. Siriwardena postponed.

Retired Sergeant Muthu Banda, arrested over the abduction, has told the CID that Ekneligoda was kidnapped and taken to Giritale Army camp, where he had been questioned over his links to the book titled ‘Pavul Gasa’ (Family Tree) and to Gen. Sarath Fonseka.

It was Corporal Priyantha, together with two former LTTE members serving in the military intelligence, who had abducted the journalist.

He was detained at the Giritale camp for three days, Muthubanda said, adding that he last saw him being taken away by Col. Siriwardena.

It was the topmost officials who had ordered the kidnapping and the questioning of Ekneligoda, he said.

‘Raja Pavulai Maa Wavuloi’ claimed Ekneligoda

Meanwhile, yukthiya.lk website reports that Ekneligoda was abducted and murdered over an article for ‘Hansa Sandeshaya’ newspaper, published by him and certain others.

Titled ‘Raja Pavulai Maa Wavuloi Elleegena Ratama Hapai’, the article written by Ekneligoda was never published.

The manuscript of the article was lost, and it later transpired that a government spy had stolen it and handed it over to the military.

A few days before the kidnapping, a friend of Ekneligoda, Kelly Senanayake was summoned by the CID.

It was at Kelly’s printing press ‘Nawamaga’ that Ekneligoda had got most of his printing done, including ‘Hansa Sandeshaya.’

Following a checking of his handwriting, the CID questioned him over the manuscript, which was typewritten and corrections done in handwriting.

When asked as to whether he could identify the handwriting, Kelly said in the negative.

It appeared the CID wanted to know who had done the corrections in the article.

Kelly was told there that the investigation was being carried out on an order by the hierarchy.

LeN editor’s allegations

Meanwhile, the LeN website, where Ekneligoda was a journalist, in a special report by its editor Sandaruwan Senadhira, says the abduction of Ekneligoda was due to his having written a book titled ‘Rajapaksa Pavul Gasa’ (Rajapaksa family tree).

He charges that even before the book was printed, a copy of the manuscript was given to the then defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa by Ruwan Ferdinandis, a former secretary to Mangala Samaraweera.

Spy in Mangala’s office

When asked about this, Ferdinandis, editorial consultant to SLM, said that there was no connection of Ekneligoda to the book in question, published by the then SLFP faction led by Mangala Samaraweera.

However, Samaraweera barred entry to the party office of a university student identified during the presidential election as a member of government intelligence, he said.