News
English teacher’s death raises questions; body found in Victoria reservoir
The death of a young English teacher has sent shock waves across her hometown Gampola and raised questions over unprotected drains that have become death traps to unsuspecting pedestrians.
A village in mourning: Nisansala's funeral procession
As usual, on October 1, after completing her work at a school in Hatton, 27-year-old Chandima Nisansala set off for home in Gampola town with her friend Savitri. At the Gampola bus station, she got off the bus and waved at her friend. The station was not even 200 metres from her home.
Due to the heavy rain, parts of the road had gone under water and visibility was poor due to heavy mist. Holding her umbrella over her head, she started walking towards her home in the rain. She passed the Keerapana Railway crossing and the Education Department building close to the railway station. CCTV footage showed she was going along a subway too. The camera showed the time as 4.06 pm. From there it was only 100 metres to her home.
Around 5.30 p.m., her mother became worried and called the school to find out whether Nisansala had left school. The principal who answered the phone said she had left school at the usual time. Puzzled and bewildered, the mother alerted relatives, friends, and neighbours. When their search drew a blank, they informed the police. Several officers from the station joined the search.
Their attention fell on a deep concrete drain. There was a strong current of water in the drain. In some places it was not covered with concrete slabs, posing a danger to any passersby. Only weeks before, a woman had fallen into the drain and managed to come out after a ten minute struggle.
The neighbours removed a few slabs to see whether she had fallen into the drain. They looked for her belongings – her handbag, her umbrella or even her sandals. But they could not find any trace of them.
The Police examined the CCTV camera of the Education Centre. It clearly showed she was walking towards her home.
Suspecting foul play, police recorded statements from several people. Nisansala was to be engaged to Sanjeewa Suresh from Gampola – a sub inspector now working in the Mannar District.
He was on leave and on his way to his residence in Horana. When informed of the missing teacher, he immediately came to Gampola and started looking for her. Their marriage was to be registered on October 29. The news about the missing teacher hit media headlines and went viral on the social media. Police intelligence was also called in to assist the search party.
Nisansala: Dedicated English teacher
Meanwhile, a villager who identified himself as Dhammika Gunawardena called the police to say a body of a young female was floating in the Mahaweli River. But when the police officers went to the spot, the current was too heavy. They concluded the body would have drifted towards the Lewella bridge.
They suspected the possibility of the body falling into the Polgolla Reservoir downstream.
The Gampola Police contacted the police stations at Wattegama, Kundasale, Thalathu Oya and Theldeniya and sought their help.
On October 7, six days after Nisansala disappeared, a fisherman called the Theldeniya Police to say a body could be seen in the Victoria Reservoir near Paragama.
Acting on the information, Gampola Police, accompanied by two divers, came to the spot around 8 p.m. Also joining them was an uncle of Nisansala. The body was found and brought ashore in the fisherman’s boat around 10 p.m.
Nisansala’s parents and her fiancé were called to identify the body. Her body had been highly decomposed beyond recognition. The saree was mostly in tatters and a yellow thread around her wrist was visible. These enabled the parents and the fiancé to identify the body.
An English graduate of the Peradeniya University, Nisanasala was a dedicated teacher. She was born in Kirapana in Gampola. Although the school, Sri Pada Maha Vidyalaya, was some 60 km away from her house and it was biting cold in the mornings, she loved her job and travelled daily with enthusiasm with her friends. She usually came home around 5 .pm.
The school she was teaching is known for the extra efforts it takes to teach English. Over the years, the students have achieved good grades for English at state exams, Principal Wasantha Kaviraj said. He said Nisansala’s appointment gave a major boost to the school’s English education.
Even during her free time, she conducted English language and literature classes for students sitting the GCE O/L examination.
Nisansala has a younger brother – Tharaka Ratnayake, a student of St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy.
Her mother, Chandra Jayaweera, works at the Gampola Municipal Council run Ayurvedic Centre. Her father is Sarath Ratnayake
Gampola Police officers led by OIC Crime Branch Supila Bandara are conducting the investigation as Gamplola District Judge Shrinith Wijesekera visited the scene and observed that the Mahaweli River was about 500 metres away from the concrete drain that she might have fallen into. Earlier an open verdict was returned.
Nisansala’s father told police officers that his daughter had a previous love affair with a youth and wanted the police to question him.
Her mother Chandra Jayaweera told the magisterial inquiry that Nisansala, her only daughter was studious and had ambitions for the future.
A large crowd, including her students, attended Nissansala’s funeral at the Gampola Public Cemetery.
Captured on CCTV: Nisansala on her way back home on that fateful day
Victoria reservoir: The area where the body was found. Pix by Suranga Rajanayake
Police and villagers searching for clues