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Premachandra killed by T56 rifle fire, says witness
View(s):Several key witnesses in the Bharatha Lakshman recounted at the hearing this week the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that prevailed on the day of the incident in October 2011 with the then UPFA MP Duminda Silva and his gun wielding supporters threatening voters as well as policemen on duty.
Duminda Silva arriving in court this week
The hearing began this week before the three-member Bench consisting High Court Judges Shiran Gunaratne, M.C.B.S. Moraes and Pathmini Ranawaka.
The 13 accused in the case are former MP Duminda Silva as well as Anura Thushara de Mel, Chandana Jagath Kumara, Chaminda Ravi Jayanath, Lanka Rasanjana, Malaka Sameera, Vidanagamage Amila, Sarath Bandara, Suranga Premalal, Saman Kumara Abeysinghe, Janaka Bandara, Rohana Marasinghe and Nagoda Liyanarachchige Shaminda.
Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra along with three others was killed in a shoot-out at Kolonnawa on the eve of the local government elections in 2011.
Among the other charges against the accused are terrorising voters, unleashing violence on crowds at the polling booth at Rahula Vidyalaya, Angoda and threatening to shoot a police officer stationed at the booth.
In his evidence witness Constable Damith Suranga Kumara (30) of the STF, serving in the Puliyankulam Camp in Vavuniya said he had been dispatched on election duty during the provincial council elections of 2011.
On October 8, 2011, he was sent to the Mulleriyawa Police Station with six police officers including a sub-inspector.
Constable Kumara said his group was expected to provide security to the two polling booths at Rahula Vidyalaya, Mulleriyawa and the nearby temple.
He said that at about 1.30 p.m. they received news that there was traffic congestion near the temple and that there was a group there distributing promotional material (cards).
Two officers went to investigate while Kumara and the two others stayed near Rahula Vidyalaya.
Between 2.30 and 3 in the afternoon a Prado jeep arrived with 10 to 15 other vehicles. The constable said that Duminda Silva got out of the Prado, followed by about a hundred others.
According to the constable, the MP had asked three women standing by the booth for whom they voted. One of the women had said she voted for Prasanna Solangarachchi, who she said was her husband.
Duminda Silva had then assaulted one of the other women, who fled from the booth.
When Constable Suranga Kumara tried to intervene in the fracas that ensued, one in the group had pressed a pistol to his chest. Once the constable backed down due to the threat, the group left him and got into their vehicles.
He said that the men accompanying Duminda Silva continued to assault people though he had not seen Duminda Silva after he assaulted the woman.
Another witness Don Sanjeewa Prasad (36), a labourer at the Ports Authority, said that he normally accompanies Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra when he visits polling booths.
On the day of the incident, after voting at the polling booth in front of the Kolonnawa Urban Council, Lakshman Premachandra had gone near the Himbutana library where he came across Duminda Silva’s group’s vehicles.
A white four-wheel drive vehicle blocked the path of Bharatha Lakshman’s vehicle, and Duminda Silva got out of the vehicle.
Bharatha Lakshman too then got out of his vehicle to confront Duminda Silva.
According to Prasad there was a large crowd by Duminda Silva’s side. The two had got into an argument following which Duminda had hit out at Lakshman.
Duminda then ordered his men to attack. One of Duminda’s men fired and wounded Bharatha in the leg. Though he limped his way to his vehicle he found that all the doors of the vehicle were locked.
One of Duminda Silva’s men came up to Bharatha and shot repeatedly at his face, but the pistol did not fire and the man ran away, said Prasad.
One of Duminda Silva’s men then fired repeatedly at Bharatha Lakshman with a T56. Prasad had also seen Duminda Silva lying on the road behind the man wielding theT56.
After this Duminda Silva was carried into his 4×4 which was driven away along with the other vehicles.Prasad notes the time as 3.33 p.m.According to Prasad when he tried to lift Bharatha Lakshman who lay on the ground, his hand sank into Lakshman’s skull.
He said that together with two others they rushed the former minister to the Infectious Diseases hospital (Base Hospital Angoda), where the doctors declared him dead.
Prasad identified the first defendant in the case as the man who fired repeatedly with a T56 rifle.