Fear spreads across the country as daylight shootings continue to take lives Murder of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman who was from SJB is the first political killing under NPP govt.
Yesterday’s shooting marked the 103rd incident reported this year. A total of 52 people have been killed in these shootings, including several innocent victims
Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that all suspects involved in recent shootings will be arrested and prosecuted
IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya said that there was an urgent need for new laws to effectively combat the country’s rising crime and drug-related activities
The fatal shooting of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekera has re-ignited public concern over whether the government and law enforcement authorities are taking the growing wave of gun violence seriously. The attack has once again highlighted rising fears over public safety amid an alarming increase in shootings linked to organized crimes across the country.
The Weligama PS Chairman from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Lasantha Wickramasekera, also known as ‘Midigama Lasa,’ died yesterday following a gun attack inside his office in broad daylight.
This killing is the first political murder under the new NPP government, leading Parliament to break into chaos yesterday with the opposition MPs demanding an answer from the government as to why law and order was not being upheld.
The Chairman was shot thrice in his head while he was seated in his office by two unidentified gunmen who arrived on a motorcycle.
Pradeshiya Sabha officials rushed the Chairman to the Matara General Hospital, but he later succumbed to his injuries.
It was reported that the shooter dressed like an ordinary person in a white suit and a black mask gained entry by posing as a visitor seeking the Chairman’s signature on a letter.
Police said that since yesterday was a public day for the Chairman, the public had been given time to meet him.
It was revealed that the shooter entered the Chairman’s office and shot him in the head while he was seated in his official chair.
After the shooting, the shooter fled on a motorcycle. The CCTV footages showed the suspect entering the office and fleeing on a motorcycle with another suspect.
The chairman had suffered serious injuries from gunshot wounds to the head and neck.
Lasantha Wickramasekera, a resident of Midigama, was 38 years old.
Police said that a pistol-type firearm had been used for the killing.
It was reported that Lasantha Wickramasekera, had contested the last local government election as a Samagi Jana Balawegaya candidate and was elected as its Chairman.
Police said that he has been identified as a close associate of the currently imprisoned Nadun Chinthaka alias ‘Harak Kata’.
Yesterday’s shooting marked the 103rd incident reported this year. A total of 52 people have been killed in these shootings, including several innocent victims.
Police said that out of 103 reported shootings this year, 76 are connected to organized criminal activity.
The most recent incident before the killing of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman occurred in Hikkaduwa on October 20, where shots were fired at a house. No casualties were reported.
According to police, the Weligama shooting was the first fatal gun attack reported since September 6, when a 26-year-old man was killed near the Mahawatte Clock Tower in Grandpass by two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday that all suspects involved in recent shootings will be arrested and prosecuted, adding that four police teams have already begun investigating yesterday’s shooting in Weligama.
He said investigators are probing whether the “Midigama shooting” is linked to a wider criminal network.
“These crimes are the result of narcotics, underworld activities, and illegal firearms circulating in society. The Police, security forces, and intelligence units are working together to tackle this issue. It is everyone’s responsibility to eradicate it. The President and the government are leading this drive,” the Minister said.
Commenting on public safety concerns, Minister Nalinda said that the recent wave of shootings underscores the government’s responsibility to curb the spread of organized crime across the country.
Meanwhile, commenting on the continuing spate of shootings reported across the country, Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said the Sri Lanka Police, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies and the Tri-Forces, were carrying out operations to combat criminal activity.
Despite the rise in underworld-related violence, the government maintain that the country faces no active national security threat. Defence Secretary Sampath Thuyacontha earlier said that such criminal elements fall under the purview of the Ministry of Public Security rather than national security.
Earlier, IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya said that there was an urgent need for new laws to effectively combat the country’s rising crime and drug-related activities. He said that the current legal framework was inadequate for supporting sustained raids and enforcement actions.
