Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali
Encyclopedia
Lalith Athulathmudali
, the former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and Deputy Minister of Defence of Sri Lanka
was killed at 8:10 p.m. Sri Lanka Time
(2.10 p.m. UTC
) on 23 April 1993 in Kirulapana. Athulathmudali was fatally shot while addressing a gathering, approximately 4 weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province
, May 1993.
The investigation carried out by Sri Lanka Police
and Scotland Yard
separately concluded that the assassination was carried out by a Tamil
youth named Appiah Balakrishnan alias Ragunathan, who was affiliated to LTTE. However these findings were widely disputed by people due to the political context of that time. In 1995, President
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
appointed a presidential commission
to probe the Athulathmudali assassination, which had been an election promise of her 1994 presidential election campaign
. The final commission report submitted on October 7, 1997 pointed the finger at former President
Ranasinghe Premadasa
(1988–93) and security force personnel who were close to him as directly responsible for the killing of Athulathmudali. Subsequently a few security force members and underworld figures were arrested. They were eventually charged with conspiracy, aiding and abetting to commit murder. Three of the accused were killed during prosecution, raising further questions about the assassination. The Lalith Athulathmudali case remains the most controversial political assassination in recent Sri Lankan history.
J.R. Jayewardene
’s government during 1977-88. He, Prime Minister
Ranasinghe Premadasa and minister of Mahaweli Development Gamini Dissanayake
were considered to be the closest contenders for the Sri Lankan presidential election, 1988
. Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa was nominated in the end. After the election victory of President Premadasa, Athulathmudali and Dissanayake were considered as the closest contenders to the post of Prime Minister. But circumventing both of them, Premadasa appointed D.B. Wijethunga
as the Prime Minister. In 1989, Premadasa appointed his closest associate B. Sirisena Cooray to the post of national organizer of UNP
overlooking Lalith Athulathmudali. Similarly, Athulathmudali and Dissanayake were deprived of a series of important posts within government and the party. These acts caused a great tension between Premadasa fraction and the Athulathmudali fraction of the party. The disappearance of dramatist Luxman Perera – who was a close ally of Athulathmudali, also caused the rift to intensify.
against President Premadasa in 1991. The motion included 24 cases of alleged abuses of power, including illegal land deals and failing to consult the cabinet (thus violating the constitution
). Although the speaker of the parliament
rejected the motion in October 1991, it put the Premadasa government in grave danger. Subsequently, Athulathmudali and Dissanayake resigned from their ministrial posts. They and their allies were expelled from the party.
(DUNF) in November 28, 1991. Athulathmudali was elected as its leader. Four times during 1991-92, Athulathmudali and his supporters were physically attacked allegedly by thugs or supporters of the president. These incidents occurred on November 2, 1991 at Pannala, April 23, 1992 at Madapatha, August 7, 1992 at Fort railway station and August 29, 1992 at Dehiwala
. On March 16, 1993, the government dissolved the seven provincial councils and announced the elections dates due to be on May 17, 1993. Athulathmudali handed over his papers to contest, seeking the chief ministership of the Western Province Council on the DUNF ticket.
, Aluthkade and Kirulapana. He finished addressing two other meetings and arrived Kirulapana at 8:00 p.m. There were about 1,000 people present at the place. As it was raining, people moved closer to the stage, some even climbing under it. Suddenly, a person came near Athulathmudali, pulled a gun and shot him 3 times. At this moment, a bodyguard of Athulathmudali named Thilak Shantha fired at the attacker and hit him on his right abdomen
. Attacker also shot at the boduyguard and ran away. Athulathmudali was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his wounds around 8:50 p.m.
The police came into the crime scene and cordoned the area. But subsequent search operations found nothing. It was on the following morning (24), Police found a slain body some 200m from the stage where Athulathmudali had been shot. Police found an automatic 9mm pistol with two magazines and several rounds of live ammunition, empty cartridge cases, a hand grenade, a national identity card and a little money. The Colombo Judicial Medical Officer Dr.
L.B. De Alwis, held a post mortem and recorded the cause of the death of Athulathmudali as fatal firearm wounds to the liver, heart and lungs and cause of the death of slain Tamil youth identified as Appiah Balakrishnan alias Ragunathan as cyanide poisoning. There was a non-fatal wound found on his lower back (not on the right abdomen as described by the bodyguard Thilak Shantha).
terrorist organisation
which was waging a war against the state since 1983. When Athulathmudali had been the minister of defense in the J.R. Jayawardene government, had taken stern action against the group sparking their anger towards him. LTTE had killed a number of parliamentarians and local body members during the period, so Police point of view had a certain credibility. Police asserted that Ragunathan, whose body appeared tomorrow’s morning was the gunman who killed Athulathmudali. The fact that the Judicial Medical Officer Dr.
Lalantha de Alwis, who conducted the autopsy on the body, had testified that the body smelled of Potassium cyanide
(which LTTEers had used over the years to suicide) and that he found pieces of glass in the mouth of the body stood as strong evidence to support the Police. Police determined that, the youth known as Ragunathan, was a LTTE activist. According to their view, LTTE sent the suicide cardre to kill Athulathmudali, the cardre killed him and bit his suicide capsule to evade capture since he was shot by the bodyguard.
detectives and pathologists
to further investigate the assassination. They arrived in the country on April 26. During their course of investigation, on May 1, 1993, President Premadasa was killed by a suicide bombing carried out by the LTTE.
Scotland Yard reported to then appointed D.B. Wijethunge
government that they have found a minute trace of cyanide in Ragunathan’s blood sample they had taken at a second post-mortem of the youth. Concluding their investigation, detective superintendent Alec Edwards of the Investigation and Crime Branch of New Scotland Yard forwarded an undated report to the government.
Those evidence, combined with the political friction existed between Athulathmudali and President Premadasa, made many independent investigators suspicious about an involvement of president to this assassination. However Premadasa repeatedly pleaded his innocence. He also made the favourite statement, "Assassinate me if you wish, but don't assassinate my character, which I have cherished from my childhood" regarding Athulathmudali’s murder.
government came into the power, defeating the 17 year UNP rule. One of the major election promises of her 1994 presidential election campaign
was to inquire the unaccounted disappearances and assassinations during UNP’s rule. Thus in 1995, she appointed a 3 person presidential commission
to probe the death of Athulathmudali. It was composed of justice
Tissa Bandaranayake, justice Padmasiri Gunasekera and judge of the High Court, Nimal Gamini Amaratunge. Although the commission was due to submit report in 3 months time, it took more than 2 years to complete the investigation. Commission submitted its final report on October 7, 1997.
The commission found that the firearm wound on Ragunathan was caused by a shot fired at a very close range with a doctored and tampered 9 mm cartridge. To happen this, he should’ve been in someone’s captivity
when he was shot. This is because the bodyguard had shot the killer at a distance greater than that. Ragunathan had his wound on his lower back, not on the right abdomen.
The commission also concluded that evidence gathered suggests that cyanide was administered to him forcibly, not that he bit the cyanide capsule
himself. It also ruled out LTTE from the assassination plot. Commission also pointed out that Ragunathan was also killed by the gang which had killed Athulathmudali.
police is seen showing weapons to underworld
gagsters at the police station. Adhikari of the Borella police had given protection to criminals, particularly to Soththi Upali, whom he addressed as "chief". Devasundara and Ilabdeen visited Ragunathan, who was held in captivity in Gothami Road. The report in its last paragraphs pointed out finger towards President Premadasa for the assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali.
Based on the commission report, on September 8, 1998 Devasundara, Inspector of Police in charge of the local unit of the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) was arrested in Anuradhapura
. Later Soththi Upali, Malwatte Some, U.L. Seneviratne, B.G. Devasurendra and A. Abdeen were arrested and charged with conspiracy, aiding and abetting to commit murder and unlawful detention of Ragunathan. B. Sirisena Cooray was also arrested later and released. He continues to deny their involvement of the assassination until now. Subsequently, three of the chief suspects, Arambawalage Don Ranjith Upali de Silva alias Soththi Upali, Janaka Priyanka Jayamanna alias Wellampitiye Sudumahattaya and K. Nandasiri Karunatilake alias Nandana were assassinated.
home on April 30, 2000. His wife also died in this shooting. Chandrika Kumarathunga’s government was accused of giving assylum to the gangs led by Dhammika Amarasinghe who was responsible for theses murders. In 2005, a suspect was apprehended by Police in relation to Soththi Upali’s murder. Interrogations revealed that he had been a body guard of the former Samurdi Minister S. B. Dissanayake
who had been a powerful minister of Chandrika Kumarathunga’s government.
Lalith Athulathmudali
Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali , PC was a Sri Lankan politician of the United National Party and former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.-Early life and teaching career:Born to a family of Lawyers, his...
, the former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and Deputy Minister of Defence of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
was killed at 8:10 p.m. Sri Lanka Time
Sri Lanka Time
Sri Lanka Standard Time is the time zone for Sri Lanka. It is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT/UTC .The Sri Lanka Time reverted on 15 April 2006 to match Indian Standard Time calculated from the Allahabad Observatory in India 82.5 ° longitude East of Greenwich, the reference point for...
(2.10 p.m. UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) on 23 April 1993 in Kirulapana. Athulathmudali was fatally shot while addressing a gathering, approximately 4 weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province
Western Province, Sri Lanka
The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.-Districts:Basnahira is divided into 3 districts:...
, May 1993.
The investigation carried out by Sri Lanka Police
Sri Lanka Police Service
The Sri Lanka Police Service is the civilian national police force of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The police force has a manpower of approximately 85,000. It is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace...
and Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
separately concluded that the assassination was carried out by a Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
youth named Appiah Balakrishnan alias Ragunathan, who was affiliated to LTTE. However these findings were widely disputed by people due to the political context of that time. In 1995, President
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
appointed a presidential commission
Presidential Commission
Presidential Commission may refer to:*Presidential Commission *Presidential Commission *Presidential Commission of Uganda*Presidential Commission of Ghana*Presidential Commission on the Status of Women...
to probe the Athulathmudali assassination, which had been an election promise of her 1994 presidential election campaign
Sri Lankan presidential election, 1994
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1994 was the third presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 October 1994, and the election was held on 9 November 1994. Electoral participation was 70.47%...
. The final commission report submitted on October 7, 1997 pointed the finger at former President
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa
Ranasinghe Premadasa was the 3rd President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to January 1, 1989...
(1988–93) and security force personnel who were close to him as directly responsible for the killing of Athulathmudali. Subsequently a few security force members and underworld figures were arrested. They were eventually charged with conspiracy, aiding and abetting to commit murder. Three of the accused were killed during prosecution, raising further questions about the assassination. The Lalith Athulathmudali case remains the most controversial political assassination in recent Sri Lankan history.
Tension with Ranasinghe Premadasa
Lalith Athulathmudali had been one of the most prominent and powerful ministers in PresidentPresident of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
J.R. Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene , famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence...
’s government during 1977-88. He, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is the functional head of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka. However, the President is both head of state and head of government in Sri Lanka...
Ranasinghe Premadasa and minister of Mahaweli Development Gamini Dissanayake
Gamini Dissanayake
Lionel Gamini Dissanayake was a prominent Sri Lankan politician and a former presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition.-Early life:...
were considered to be the closest contenders for the Sri Lankan presidential election, 1988
Sri Lankan presidential election, 1988
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1988 was the second presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 10 November 1988, and the election was held on 19 December 1988. Electoral participation was 55.32%...
. Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa was nominated in the end. After the election victory of President Premadasa, Athulathmudali and Dissanayake were considered as the closest contenders to the post of Prime Minister. But circumventing both of them, Premadasa appointed D.B. Wijethunga
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was the President of Sri Lanka from May 1, 1993 to November 12, 1994, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from March 3, 1989 to May 7, 1993 and the Governor of North Western province, Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1989.-Early life:...
as the Prime Minister. In 1989, Premadasa appointed his closest associate B. Sirisena Cooray to the post of national organizer of UNP
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
overlooking Lalith Athulathmudali. Similarly, Athulathmudali and Dissanayake were deprived of a series of important posts within government and the party. These acts caused a great tension between Premadasa fraction and the Athulathmudali fraction of the party. The disappearance of dramatist Luxman Perera – who was a close ally of Athulathmudali, also caused the rift to intensify.
Impeachment motion
This resulted in Athulathmudali fraction bringing an impeachment motionImpeach (motion)
The motion to impeach is used to bring an accusation against a person. A majority vote is needed to put the accused on trial. A majority vote convicts for a minor offense, and a two-thirds vote for a major offense. A vote of censure or reprimand requires majority vote, and suspension or expulsion a...
against President Premadasa in 1991. The motion included 24 cases of alleged abuses of power, including illegal land deals and failing to consult the cabinet (thus violating the constitution
Constitution of Sri Lanka
The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...
). Although the speaker of the parliament
Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka the Speaker of the Parliament is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The Speaker fulfills a number of important functions in relation to the operation the House, which is based upon the British Westminster Parliamentary system.The...
rejected the motion in October 1991, it put the Premadasa government in grave danger. Subsequently, Athulathmudali and Dissanayake resigned from their ministrial posts. They and their allies were expelled from the party.
Establishment of Democratic United National Front
They formed a separate political party known as Democratic United National FrontDemocratic United National Front
The Democratic United National Front is a political party in Sri Lanka.At the last legislative elections, held on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6 % of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats....
(DUNF) in November 28, 1991. Athulathmudali was elected as its leader. Four times during 1991-92, Athulathmudali and his supporters were physically attacked allegedly by thugs or supporters of the president. These incidents occurred on November 2, 1991 at Pannala, April 23, 1992 at Madapatha, August 7, 1992 at Fort railway station and August 29, 1992 at Dehiwala
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Is a newly created city lying immediately south of Colombo, one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka. It is the result of certain key urban suburbs and communities combined for administrative purposes. The centres include Dehiwala and the beach resort of Mount Lavinia....
. On March 16, 1993, the government dissolved the seven provincial councils and announced the elections dates due to be on May 17, 1993. Athulathmudali handed over his papers to contest, seeking the chief ministership of the Western Province Council on the DUNF ticket.
The assassination
On April 23, 1993, Athulathmudali was scheduled to address meetings held at BorellaBorella
Borella is the largest suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka represented by divisional code 8.-Demographic:Borella is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. The major ethnic communities in Borella are Sinhalese and Tamils. There are also various other minorities such as Burghers, Arab descendants and others...
, Aluthkade and Kirulapana. He finished addressing two other meetings and arrived Kirulapana at 8:00 p.m. There were about 1,000 people present at the place. As it was raining, people moved closer to the stage, some even climbing under it. Suddenly, a person came near Athulathmudali, pulled a gun and shot him 3 times. At this moment, a bodyguard of Athulathmudali named Thilak Shantha fired at the attacker and hit him on his right abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
. Attacker also shot at the boduyguard and ran away. Athulathmudali was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his wounds around 8:50 p.m.
The police came into the crime scene and cordoned the area. But subsequent search operations found nothing. It was on the following morning (24), Police found a slain body some 200m from the stage where Athulathmudali had been shot. Police found an automatic 9mm pistol with two magazines and several rounds of live ammunition, empty cartridge cases, a hand grenade, a national identity card and a little money. The Colombo Judicial Medical Officer Dr.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
L.B. De Alwis, held a post mortem and recorded the cause of the death of Athulathmudali as fatal firearm wounds to the liver, heart and lungs and cause of the death of slain Tamil youth identified as Appiah Balakrishnan alias Ragunathan as cyanide poisoning. There was a non-fatal wound found on his lower back (not on the right abdomen as described by the bodyguard Thilak Shantha).
Police investigation
Police investigators immediately pointed their finger at LTTE, a separatistSeparatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
terrorist organisation
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
which was waging a war against the state since 1983. When Athulathmudali had been the minister of defense in the J.R. Jayawardene government, had taken stern action against the group sparking their anger towards him. LTTE had killed a number of parliamentarians and local body members during the period, so Police point of view had a certain credibility. Police asserted that Ragunathan, whose body appeared tomorrow’s morning was the gunman who killed Athulathmudali. The fact that the Judicial Medical Officer Dr.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Lalantha de Alwis, who conducted the autopsy on the body, had testified that the body smelled of Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline compound, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and...
(which LTTEers had used over the years to suicide) and that he found pieces of glass in the mouth of the body stood as strong evidence to support the Police. Police determined that, the youth known as Ragunathan, was a LTTE activist. According to their view, LTTE sent the suicide cardre to kill Athulathmudali, the cardre killed him and bit his suicide capsule to evade capture since he was shot by the bodyguard.
Scotland Yard investigation
The President Ranasinghe Premadasa invited a team of Scotland YardScotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
detectives and pathologists
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
to further investigate the assassination. They arrived in the country on April 26. During their course of investigation, on May 1, 1993, President Premadasa was killed by a suicide bombing carried out by the LTTE.
Scotland Yard reported to then appointed D.B. Wijethunge
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was the President of Sri Lanka from May 1, 1993 to November 12, 1994, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from March 3, 1989 to May 7, 1993 and the Governor of North Western province, Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1989.-Early life:...
government that they have found a minute trace of cyanide in Ragunathan’s blood sample they had taken at a second post-mortem of the youth. Concluding their investigation, detective superintendent Alec Edwards of the Investigation and Crime Branch of New Scotland Yard forwarded an undated report to the government.
The Findings of Scotland Yard
The report included following findings:- The person now known to be Ragunathan alias Appaiah Balakrishnan shot and killed Mr. Athulathmudali and was later found dead at scene 2.
- Seriously injured and fearing imminent capture, he undoubtedly took his life by way of cyanide poisoning;
- There is no evidence, direct or circumstantial, to support the allegation that this tragedy was orchestrated by or in any way linked to the Sri Lankan Government, UNP members or other official agencies including the police;
- An analytical study of LTTE modus operandi showed that this act was in total concert with their current subversive activities.
Controversy
However the circumstances regarding the death of Athulathmudali remained intensely controversial in the society as political arena. The following facts made the official version of assassination suspicious.- It was reported that Rukman de Silva, a Senior Superintendent of Police, instructed the officers under him, not to provide police protection to the opposition political parties at their public meetings during the provincial election.
- On April 23, the Inspector of Police, Ranagala, who was the OIC of Kirulapone, sent two police officers to tape record the speeches made at the DUNF meeting.
- Police search found nothing on the night of assassination. It was only on the following morning, Kirulapana Police found the dead body of Ragunathan just 200m away from the stage.
- For the second post mortem done by Dr.PhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
R.T. Shepherd on Ragunathan’s body, no one had taken permission from the magistrate, which was absolutely necessary under the circumstances. - It was found that Ragunathan had come to Colombo to go abroad. He was alone. There was no evidence to link him to the LTTE.
Those evidence, combined with the political friction existed between Athulathmudali and President Premadasa, made many independent investigators suspicious about an involvement of president to this assassination. However Premadasa repeatedly pleaded his innocence. He also made the favourite statement, "Assassinate me if you wish, but don't assassinate my character, which I have cherished from my childhood" regarding Athulathmudali’s murder.
Presidential commission on Athulathmudali assassination
In 1994, Chandrika Kumarathunga’s People's AlliancePeople's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
government came into the power, defeating the 17 year UNP rule. One of the major election promises of her 1994 presidential election campaign
Sri Lankan presidential election, 1994
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1994 was the third presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 October 1994, and the election was held on 9 November 1994. Electoral participation was 70.47%...
was to inquire the unaccounted disappearances and assassinations during UNP’s rule. Thus in 1995, she appointed a 3 person presidential commission
Presidential Commission
Presidential Commission may refer to:*Presidential Commission *Presidential Commission *Presidential Commission of Uganda*Presidential Commission of Ghana*Presidential Commission on the Status of Women...
to probe the death of Athulathmudali. It was composed of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
Tissa Bandaranayake, justice Padmasiri Gunasekera and judge of the High Court, Nimal Gamini Amaratunge. Although the commission was due to submit report in 3 months time, it took more than 2 years to complete the investigation. Commission submitted its final report on October 7, 1997.
The commission found that the firearm wound on Ragunathan was caused by a shot fired at a very close range with a doctored and tampered 9 mm cartridge. To happen this, he should’ve been in someone’s captivity
Captivity
Captivity or Captive may refer to:*Imprisonment or hostage, the state of being confined to a space from which it is difficult or impossible to escape**Captive company...
when he was shot. This is because the bodyguard had shot the killer at a distance greater than that. Ragunathan had his wound on his lower back, not on the right abdomen.
The commission also concluded that evidence gathered suggests that cyanide was administered to him forcibly, not that he bit the cyanide capsule
Cyanide poisoning
Cyanide poisoning occurs when a living organism is exposed to a compound that produces cyanide ions when dissolved in water. Common poisonous cyanide compounds include hydrogen cyanide gas and the crystalline solids potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide...
himself. It also ruled out LTTE from the assassination plot. Commission also pointed out that Ragunathan was also killed by the gang which had killed Athulathmudali.
The persons implicated by the commission
It implicated following people for the dual murder:- Arambawalage Don Ranjith Upali de Silva alias Soththi Upali – he was implicated on murdering victim number 2, Appiah Balakrishnan alias Ragunathan. Soththi Upali was assumed to be the god father of the Colombo underworld during that time. He had been said to have close political links, most importantly B. Sirisena Cooray, the minister of housing and construction at that time. Upali served as a reserve sub inspector at one time. He was later included in the UNP executive body by President Premadasa.
- Uswatte Liyanage Senivaratne - a provincial councilor of the UNP for the Western Province. He was accused of the offences of unlawful assault, voluntarily causing hurt while being armed with deadly weapons to wit; pistol, iron rods, clubs etc. and wrongful restraint, criminal intimidationIntimidationIntimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
, offences punishable under the Penal Code in respect of the Fort Railway Station incident on August 7, 1992, and conspiracy to kill Lalith W. Athulathmudali on April 23, 1993. - Janaka Priyanka Jayamanna alias Wellampitiye Sudumahattaya – he was identified as the assassin of Lalith Athulathmudali.
- Wathudula Bandulage Somaratne alias Konda Some – another prominent underworld figure.
- K. Nandasiri Karunatilake alias Nandana – a mobster and a close associate of Soththi Upali.
- Bulathsinhalage Srisena Cooray - the minister of Housing and Construction of the Premadasa government. He was considered as the right hand man of President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
- Bulathsinhalage Ajith Coorey - the son of Srisena Cooray.
Negligence/involvement of Police
The commission report also added that the Police has contributed to the assassination by failing to give adequate security to the meeting, disregard of vital evidence, not submitting a complete report to the magistrate and avoiding questioning witnesses on relevant matters. Report also implicated ASP Lugoda, IP Dharmawardene, SI Sunil Shantha and IP Ekhanayake on falsification and tampering of evidence and fraudulent conduct. Senivaratne, Gunaratne, Dharmawardene, Basil, Jayasinghe, Devasundara, Aabdeen, Nilaabdeen, Deepthi Wijewickrema and other CDB officers were accused of conducting an unsatisfactory probe on Ragunathan’s death. Galgamuwa of the WellawatteWellawatte
Wellawatte, a suburb in Colombo, lies immediately south of Bambalapitiya and is classified as zone 6 within the Colombo Municipal region. The town begins at the old Dutch canal just before the Savoy Cinema and extends all the way south to the same canal that spills into the sea just before the...
police is seen showing weapons to underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
gagsters at the police station. Adhikari of the Borella police had given protection to criminals, particularly to Soththi Upali, whom he addressed as "chief". Devasundara and Ilabdeen visited Ragunathan, who was held in captivity in Gothami Road. The report in its last paragraphs pointed out finger towards President Premadasa for the assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali.
Based on the commission report, on September 8, 1998 Devasundara, Inspector of Police in charge of the local unit of the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) was arrested in Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...
. Later Soththi Upali, Malwatte Some, U.L. Seneviratne, B.G. Devasurendra and A. Abdeen were arrested and charged with conspiracy, aiding and abetting to commit murder and unlawful detention of Ragunathan. B. Sirisena Cooray was also arrested later and released. He continues to deny their involvement of the assassination until now. Subsequently, three of the chief suspects, Arambawalage Don Ranjith Upali de Silva alias Soththi Upali, Janaka Priyanka Jayamanna alias Wellampitiye Sudumahattaya and K. Nandasiri Karunatilake alias Nandana were assassinated.
Circumstances regarding Soththi Upali’s death
Soththi Upali was shot dead on December 17, 1998 while returning home from the magistrate courts in Colombo, where he has been charged in connection with the assassination. It was reported that two vehicles have followed the bus in which Upali was traveling from Colombo to Piliyandala. As soon as he got down at Bokundara, he was shot and then dragged into one of the vehicles and taken to a place about 4 km from Bokundara, shot again and dropped. Prior to that, in late February 1998 at Borella, Nandana was killed at the presence of Upali. But he had luckily got escaped. A rival underworld gang led by Dhammika Amarasinghe, the brother of Upali’s arch rival Chinthaka Amarasinghe – who was killed by Upali, a few years earlier – was said to be responsible for these assassinations.Thilak Shantha’s confession
When those who were implicated by the presidential commission were tried in court, it was revealed that the assassin named by the commission, Wellampitye Sudumahattaya had no wounds on his right abdomen as revealed by Lalith Athulathmudali’s bodyguard Thilak Shantha, earlier. Thus Shantha was recalled to the court to question him on the issue. There he confessed that he had deliberately lied to the commission and the early investigators. He said the truth was that he shot at the assassin, but the bullet never hit the assassin. He said he lied to the commission and to the police at the instance of a President`s Counsel who was watching the interests of Athulathmudali’s family. Later Shantha was charged as an accomplice to the murder.Aftermath
The assassin of Lalith Athulathmudali, as implicated by commission, Janaka Priyankara Jayamanne alias Wellampitiye Sudu Mahattaya also was assassinated by rival underworld gangs at his KolonnawaKolonnawa
Kolonnawa is a town in Colombo District in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The town has a clock tower.-References:...
home on April 30, 2000. His wife also died in this shooting. Chandrika Kumarathunga’s government was accused of giving assylum to the gangs led by Dhammika Amarasinghe who was responsible for theses murders. In 2005, a suspect was apprehended by Police in relation to Soththi Upali’s murder. Interrogations revealed that he had been a body guard of the former Samurdi Minister S. B. Dissanayake
S. B. Dissanayake
Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Sumanaweera Banda Dissanayake, MP is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the current Cabinet Minister of Higher Education in President Mahinda Rajapakse's Government...
who had been a powerful minister of Chandrika Kumarathunga’s government.