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Can you walk into a Sri Lankan police station with your mobile phone in your pocket? And once you are inside, can you take a photo or record a video, or does that break the law?
These questions came back with force after a 29-year-old suspect died in Homagama police custody in October 2026, and as videos from inside police stations kept surfacing online. People began asking what limits apply to phones in police stations, how those limits work, and what happens when they are broken. Then, from October 30, “Breaking News” posts announced that phones were now banned in police stations altogether. Here is how that claim spread.
On the evening of October 30, a post reading “#Breaking: Taking phones into police stations is banned” appeared on Facebook. Alongside it came a video built around a clip from a Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police’s media briefing, captioned “They won’t let you take phones into police stations.”
One post turned the claim into a poll, asking readers: “Do you approve of this decision?”
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The claim reached English-language Facebook users too. One English post, tagging Sri Lanka Police, said the claim was circulating and asked police to state the exact law, gazette notice or directive behind it.
Claim examined: A government notice or new order has banned the public from taking mobile phones into police stations, with immediate effect.
This fact-check draws on what Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (Senior DIG) Sajeewa Medawatta, in charge of the Western Province, said at a special media briefing held by the Police Media Division, and on the explanation, we received from the Police Media Spokesperson.
One distinction matters from the start. Taking a phone into a police station, using it anywhere inside, and taking photos or videos there are three separate things.
The Homagama Custody Death Put Phones in Police Stations Back in Focus
The debate returned after a young man died in the custody of the Homagama Police.
Homagama Police arrested the 29-year-old on October 25, 2026, on a charge of possessing ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine). He later died in police custody.
Police first said the suspect fell suddenly ill after he was brought to the station and died after being admitted to hospital.
But suspicions over the death, and allegations from his relatives, led to investigations. From October 26, three officers attached to Homagama Police were suspended .
At a media briefing on October 29, Senior DIG Sajeewa Medawatta said the medical report noted three broken ribs and bleeding in the brain . He said the suspect was held at the police crimes division for some time before being taken to a cell, and that information had been received of an assault during that period. He added that no final conclusion on the assault could be reached until the medical report and the investigations were complete.
The former Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Homagama Police Crimes Division was also arrested and remanded until November 12 .
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) also launched an investigation on its own initiative . The Commission said it was examining whether the officers involved had followed the guidelines it issued on the treatment of arrested suspects.
As details emerged that the restrictions on phones had not been properly enforced in the Homagama incident, questions also arose about how police control the carrying of phones into stations.
The Senior DIG Spoke of Sensitive Areas, Not a Blanket Ban
Senior DIG Sajeewa Medawatta explained the position at a special media briefing at the Police Media Division on October 29. He was answering a journalist’s question about a video secretly recorded inside a cell at the Homagama Police Station.
He said that, apart from journalists, outsiders are generally not allowed to take mobile phones into certain sensitive areas of police stations, and that the necessary laws and policies were in place for this.
He pointed out that although a police station is a public place, areas such as cells and criminal investigation units cannot be treated as public spaces.
He explained the aim of these restrictions, he explained, was to protect the security and confidentiality of those areas. He also said that allowing a phone into such an area was one of the main reasons for the suspension of the Homagama Headquarters Inspector (HQI).
His statement shows a clear difference between the parts of a police station where the public receives services and the sensitive areas tied directly to police work.
Social media posts, however, took a short piece of this answer and presented it as a “government notice” or a “ban in force from now on.”And a phone was not among the reasons police gave in writing for the HQI’s suspension. A report on the suspension is here .
This raises another important question. What are the laws and policies on phones the Senior DIG referred to? Under what authority were they issued? Do they apply to every police station? And what restrictions apply to ordinary members of the public?
What is clear is that, to date, no order or circular has been issued banning the public from taking mobile phones into police stations. We found no such decision in the statements issued by the Police Media Division between October 26 and November 2, or in news reports.
Deputy Minister Said Phones Have Not Been Banned
Another clip shared alongside the Senior DIG’s statement, captioned “The minister says you can,” came from the “Mahajana Dinaya” (People’s Day) TV programme broadcast on September 30, 2026. In other words, it was said before the Homagama incident.
When the programme’s host noted reports that police were looking at banning phones in police stations after a video from the Ambalangoda Police Station, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala replied: “Taking phones in has not been banned.”
He added that filming cells and secretly recording conversations with station OICs were not allowed, but that no police station stopped people from keeping a phone with them.
Police Headquarters Is a Public Place Where Phones Are Allowed
When we asked about taking a mobile phone into Police Headquarters, Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP),and Attorney-at-Law F. U. Wootler, said that since Police Headquarters is a public place, visitors may bring a phone.
Based on this, it cannot be concluded that every visitor to Police Headquarters is completely barred from bringing a phone.
He did point out some limits. Being able to bring a phone does not mean visitors can walk freely into every internal area or record video anywhere. Permission is not given to enter areas restricted for security reasons, places where officers carry out their duties or where confidential information is kept, or to photograph or film suspects in cells and release that footage.
Recording Police Officers on Duty Is Not Illegal in Itself
Here, it is essential to separate carrying a phone from using it to record police officers at work.
According to published information on Circular RTM-924/CRTM-762, issued by the then Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) on October 30, 2024, police officers were informed that there is no law preventing the public from recording their duties or activities.
The directive followed reports of officers threatening people who filmed them, seizing their phones and, in some cases, arresting them. After an incident in Wariyapola, then Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath also said that anyone has the right to video such an incident .
So, recording a police officer on duty is not, on its own, an illegal act. The circular also said that unedited footage of this kind can be used as evidence in court under the Evidence (Special Provisions) Act No. 14 of 1995.
It added, however, that the directive would not stop legal action against anyone who edits such footage and releases it on social media in a way that stirs up public hatred towards Sri Lanka Police.
The ‘Dasatha’ Facebook page later used this old circular in a misleading way. It presented the circular as a fresh statement and highlighted only the part saying police would take legal action over edited videos released on social media.
Even so, this circular cannot be read as permission to walk into any part of a police station, or to film inside cells, criminal investigation units, or places where confidential information is kept.
In short, guidance on recording police officers at work and rules controlling entry to sensitive areas of a police station are two separate matters.
Constitutional Rights Come With Lawful Limits
Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees every citizen freedom of speech and expression, including publication. Expressing opinions and communicating information are therefore part of a citizen’s fundamental rights.
These rights are not unlimited, though. Article 15 sets out the restrictions that may be prescribed by law on the exercise of the right in Article 14(1)(a).
Gathering information about a police officer’s duties, recording it, and sharing it with the public can fall within freedom of expression. But exercising that right also means respecting other people’s rights, the confidentiality of investigations, security, and lawful administrative limits.
Protecting the privacy of suspects, witnesses and complainants is especially important. Recording people held in cells, or confidential details of investigations, can put their safety and their rights at risk.
So, freedom of expression alone does not give anyone an absolute right to film anywhere inside a police station. Equally, simply having a phone inside a police station does not mean a person has broken the law.
HRCSL Guidelines Put Detainee Safety First
One point should not get lost in the debate over phones in police stations: the safety of people held in custody.
In 2025, the HRCSL issued a set of General Guidelines and Recommendations to the police to prevent deaths in police custody and during police encounters. The Commission said the guidelines were sent to the Acting IGP on May 14, 2025, and forwarded to police divisions for implementation.
Under these guidelines, police stations must keep proper records of everyone being held in custody. These include:
• The detainee’s identity and the time they were brought to the station.
• Any injuries or health problems seen at the time of arrest.
• A list of personal belongings taken into police custody.
• The time, destination, and reason whenever the detainee is taken out of the station.
• The officers are responsible for the detainee’s custody.
• Medical treatment requested by the detainee and treatment given.
The guidelines make it clear that police officers carry direct responsibility for the safety and treatment of anyone in their custody.
According to the HRCSL, 49 deaths occurred in police custody and 30 deaths occurred in clashes with police after arrest between January 2020 and March 31, 2025. The report is here .
Against this background, transparency, and accountability for what happens inside police stations matter more than ever.
Viral Videos Have Triggered Police Probes Before
The Homagama case is not the only one. In recent months, investigations have also begun into videos said to show incidents inside police stations.
In August 2026, a video of an alleged incident inside the Ambalangoda Police Station spread on social media, and an investigation began on the IGP’s instructions. The Sub-Inspector who headed the team that arrested the suspect was reportedly transferred.
Videos like these give the public a chance to question police conduct. But a video alone cannot reveal the full context of an incident or settle who is responsible. That needs independent investigations, evidence, and official reports.
In such cases, it matters that police investigate the conduct the video allegedly shows, rather than acting only against the person who recorded it. In the Homagama case, the dead man’s mother alleged that police officers took her phone when she tried to film at the hospital. The report is here .
Police Plan CCTV Cameras for Every Police Station
Police plan to install CCTV camera systems in all police stations across the island, to monitor activity inside them and to strengthen transparency and accountability in police work.
On November 1, 2026, Police Media Spokesperson ASP F. U. Wootler said procurement for the project was already under way, and that CCTV footage would be used to monitor the work of police stations.
At the October 29 media briefing, the Senior DIG also said body cameras were being issued to officers and that many police stations already had CCTV.
The plan matters most where concerns over detainee safety and police conduct have surfaced. In a case like the suspect’s death at the Homagama Police Station, CCTV footage, if available, could help investigators trace how long he was held, where he was taken and what happened during that time.
The HRCSL had already recommended CCTV for police stations. Its General Guidelines and Recommendations No. 01 of 2025 called for CCTV to record activity in reception areas, cells, corridors, and other authorized places of detention. It also stressed protecting detainees’ privacy and dignity, and their right to speak confidentially with lawyers and medical professionals.
Still, installing CCTV cameras is not a complete solution on their own. There must be a clear procedure on where cameras are placed, whether they run continuously, how long footage is kept, and who can access it when an investigation needs it.
Proper safeguards are also needed to stop footage from being deleted, altered, or withheld from investigations.
What matters, then, is not just putting up cameras, but building a system where footage is kept securely, can be checked independently and can be used to hold people to account.
Phones Are Allowed, but Not Everywhere Inside a Police Station
Going by the information gathered so far and the officials’ statements, a simple “yes” or “no” does not answer this question.
According to the Police Media Spokesperson, Police Headquarters is a public place and visitors may bring a mobile phone. Senior DIG Sajeewa Medawatta, on the other hand, said phones are restricted in certain sensitive areas of police stations. The Deputy Minister of Public Security said phones have not been banned, but that filming cells is not allowed.
Taken together, these statements show that not every part of a police premises can be treated the same way.
Clear answers to these questions would help the public understand the legal limits that apply and give a more accurate picture of how police stations are run internally.
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Social media posts claiming that a government notice or new circular has banned mobile phones in police stations are misleading. No such order has been issued. The posts were built on a short clip of Senior DIG Sajeewa Medawatta’s answer to a question about filming inside a cell. Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala said phones have not been banned, and Police Media Spokesperson ASP F. U. Wootler said visitors may bring phones into Police Headquarters.
A police station being a public place does not mean every part of it is open to the public. Taking a phone into a police station and taking it into sensitive areas to use it are also two different things, just as the guidance on recording officers at work and the limits on phones in certain areas need to be looked at separately.
The real question raised by the Homagama incident is not only whether phone restrictions exist, but whether they were properly enforced, whether detainees were kept safe, and whether officers did their duty. What is needed is a clear, written policy on phone use in police stations that the public can read, one that balances legality, public rights, the confidentiality of investigations and the safety of people in custody.
Written By Pavithra Sandamali | Result: Misleading
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