Slaughter of the innocents: The price of war

Manitha Lakindu Bandara an ‘O’ level student at Asoka Vidyalaya who had just celebrated his 16th birthday, his friend Pathum Dissanayake and aunt were on their way to the funeral of a relative of a common friend when they were caught up in the claymore mine explosion at Kompannaveediya on January 2.

“When I heard that the friend with whom my son Manitha had left home had died due to the blast, I rushed to the hospital and found my son’s body in the OPD mortuary. He was dressed in the suit we bought him for his birthday which fell just yesterday…,” police sergeant A.M.N. Bandara, Manitha’s father, was mourning the loss of his only son - a victim of the claymore mine explosion at on January 2.

Manitha Lakindu Bandara an ‘O’ level student at Asoka Vidyalaya had just celebrated his 16th birthday on January 1. “His birthday cake is still in the refrigerator even though the birthday boy is not with us anymore,” wept Bandara.“I am stationed at the Borella police station and went to take up duty in the morning”. Manitha said he wanted to attend the funeral of one his Sunday school friend’s relative and he would go with his loku amma”, Bandara recalled.

On hearing of the bomb blast, Manitha’s mother Lakmini had phoned Bandara, as Manitha, their son, his loku amma Krishanthi and his friend Pathum took that particular route to go to their friend’s house. Bandara attempted to comfort her saying that they would probably be back home having taken a different route due to the build up of traffic caused by the blast.

Despite the consoling words she received from her husband that their son would be safe and back soon, the mother was nervous as she did not hear from her son. She went to the hospital, called Bandara and told him she had been to the hospital to check for their son but did not see his name on the hospital name list.“Soon my wife phoned and saying that the father of the other boy who accompanied Manitha had come home crying saying that his son was dead. I rushed to the hospital as soon as I could”, he added tearfully.

Bandara said that Manitha was on vacation after completing his ‘O’ level exams at Ashoka Vidyalaya. Manitha liked commerce subjects and was planning to continue in that stream for his ‘A’ levels. He had sat for the entrance examination at Aquinas for an English course and was expecting a call from them. “He said he wanted to be fluent in English to join the Air Force”. Manitha’s father said that his son cherished a dream to join the Air Force.

A sportsman, Manitha was a good swimmer and had received many medals and certificates at events he participated in. “He was a playful but a very obedient boy, that’s what the principal said”, Bandara added saying that Manitha loved his teachers a lot and they too loved him very much as he was a good student.

Recalling past incidents, which had become mere memories all of a sudden, Lakmini Malalasekara, (Manitha’s mother) could not stop tears flowing down her face. She said that her son who never troubled her during his entire life had suddenly left this world putting her in terrible and unbearable pain.

“There weren’t even scratch marks on their faces but the doctors say that shrapnel from the bomb were imbedded in the body... how can I believe it”, she cried. Manitha’s sister too seemed at a loss with the untimely death of her brother who normally punched and mimicked her to irritate her. Squeezed between her lamenting parents she stared at the remains of her brother with tearful eyes.

“He never goes anywhere with loku amma. He normally goes with me, his mother, grandmother or with a couple of his friends. It was his first and last trip to go anywhere with his loku amma”, Bandara said. Renuka Krishanthi (42), Manitha’s loku amma was a mother of three --Maleesha Shenali who is studying for her O level exam, Malsha Ishadi a Grade 8 student at Ananda Balika and Himasha Mihirana who is working at a private firm. They lived in the same house with Manitha and his family.

Her children and husband H.P. Sunil were still confused at the sudden death of Krishanthi. S. Malalasekara, the uncle of Krishanthi said that she was a kind lady who loved kids a lot. “We wanted to keep the bodies together, but our house was not large enough for this purpose. A neighbour kindly gave us permission to lay the bodies of Manitha and Krishanthi in their house”, Malalasekara added.

Pathum Dissanayake (14) accompanied Manitha and Krishanthi as they did not know the way to their friend’s house, little realising it was to be the last journey of his life. Sithy Fareeda his mother who was confused and trapped between the reality that lay before her, said the last time she saw her son alive was when he left home around 9.00 am saying that he was going to a funeral.

Hearing of the blast and suspecting that her son may have been travelling in that direction she had checked with his friends as to whether he had arrived at the funeral house, only to receive a negative reply. Within half an hour the family got to know that Pathum had died. Pathum’s younger sister Wasana a Grade 5 student of Sangamitta College and brother Charith who is to be admitted to Grade 1 this year, were grieving at the loss of their brother.

“He was a very good boy and good to every one. He was like a girl, supporting me all the time and never bothering me with anything”, Fareeda lamented. A.K. Daya, one of Pathum’s teachers’s said that he had been one of the well disciplined boys at Ananda. “He was a member of the school cadet corps and a good swimmer as well”, he added that his death was a big loss to the school.

Pathum, Manitha and Krishanthi’s funerals were held yesterday leaving their families lamenting over a void they would never be able to fill.