Residents of Anamaduwa say the death of a 19-year-old UPFA supporter could have been avoided if there had been sufficient security in place for an election rally held in nearby Madurankuliya.
Aruna Saman Kumara, a member of the Wayamba Provincial Council and a resident of Thonigala, Anamaduwa, was shot dead when rival party supporters clashed outside a UNP office.
The deceased was among hundreds of UPFA supporters heading to the rally in a convoy of more than 200 buses.
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| UPFA supporters carry the coffin of the Anamaduwa victim in a politically-charged procession. |
Residents in the area said they had expected trouble that day. They were certain that UPFA supporters heading to the rally would be provoked by the sight of cutouts of rival presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka, put up along the route leading to the rally venue. A UNP branch office had been set up at the residence of Pradeshiya Sabha chairman Anjana Sandaruwan. The house was on the same route, not far from Madurankuliya town.
As feared, UPFA supporters got off their buses and tore down the cutouts. A fight broke out between members of the rival parties. Stones were thrown and the sound of a gunshot was heard from the UNP Provincial Council member’s house.Saman Kumara was among several injured persons who were rushed to the Puttalam hospital. Saman Kumara later succumbed to his gunshot injuries.
“The UPFA procession was on its way when the commotion broke out. It happened opposite the UNP office,” an eyewitness said. “We then heard a gunshot.”
According to some witnesses, the shooting occurred when UPFA supporters were forced to get off their buses and walk because of a traffic jam.
UNP Puttalam district Member of Parliament P. Rangebandara said Pradeshiya Sabha chairman Anjana Sandaruwan was not at the scene when the shooting occurred.
It took the police more than two hours to bring the situation under control. The police were assisted by the Navy and members of the police Special Task Force.
An estimated 15,000 UPFA supporters attended the rally, which went ahead as scheduled, under tight security.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was informed about the shooting when he was attending a rally earlier in Kurunegala, did not attend the Madurankuliya rally.
Puttalam magistrate S. Herath conducted the inquiry into the death of Aruna Saman Kumara. A police CID team is in Madurankuliya to investigate. |
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