To protect and serve

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 1998, 23:24 GMT]
A lamb was slightly bruised when it darted across a road in Valaichenai and was grazed by a bus. A nearby Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier, apparently overcome with concern for the little creature, promptly took up the matter with the driver.

The bus, which was coming into the town, 32 kilometers north of Batticaloa clipped the lamb at about 4.30 p.m. said sources.

The SLA soldier and a military driver who were standing nearby, stopped the Eastern Transport Board (formerly CTB) bus, pulled out the driver, Kandaiah Kopalasingham, and assaulted him severely in front of a large crowd for hurting the lamb.

The soldier was on sentry duty.

A SLA Military Police jeep had come by at the time, and its occupants had watched the driver being repeatedly assaulted.

The Military Police had then intervened - on behalf of the bus driver -and arrested the soldier. The MPs had then beaten up the soldier when they discovered that he was drunk and had a bottle of liquor tied to his water bottle.

It transpired that the soldier had been taking swigs from the bottle while on duty; and hence had felt overly compassionate for the lamb.

The driver, Kandaiah Kopalasingham has been admitted to the Valaichenai hospital with severe injuries. The lamb is said to be in fine spirits.