A group of 23 Sri Lankan police officers have left for New Delhi to attend a two-week course on subjects such as “terror financing, internal security dynamics, and Islamic fundamentalism” as part of a fully funded Indian training program for the Sri Lankan security forces.
According to the Indian High Commission, the capacity building was offered by the Indian government at the request of Sri Lanka police.
“The High Commission of India has been facilitating tailor-made capacity building training courses for the personnel of the Sri Lankan Police at the training institutions; Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI), Jaipur; CDTI, Hyderabad; CDTI, Kolkata and National Security Guard (NSG), Manesar in India.”
The High Commission confirmed that “India regularly offers fully funded training slots to Sri Lankan Police personnel”.
“Since the beginning of the year 2024, over 60 police personnel, including junior, mid-level, and senior officers, have benefited from training courses on various subjects such as crime scene management, artificial intelligence and cyber crime investigation, and VIP security training,” it added.
More than 130 Sri Lankan police officers are expected to be trained in India this year, as Delhi closely maintained defence and security ties with Colombo.
In April this year, the Indian High Commission organized an event in Colombo where it showcased weapons for sale to senior Sri Lankan officials, including those accused of war crimes.
For decades India has helped armed the Sri Lankan state as it sought to crush the Tamil independence movement. India provided weapons, intelligence, and training to the Sri Lankan military and continues to undertake joint exercises despite the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils.
