THE POST MORTEM OF RAMANI BARTHALOMEUSZ

How Kamal Addaraarachchi became the suspect on the death of Ramani Barthalomeusz

The true story which wasn’t written on the Post-mortem report

Ramani Barthalomeusz was Miss Sri Lanka in 1985 and she became a Tele drama actress. Yet, she passed away in an unfortunate way when she was 21 years old in 1987. It was reported that her death was caused by an accident. Her boy friend, Kamal Addaraarachchi has visited her one night a little late owing to a busy work schedule and they have fought over this reason or the other which has made Kamal to leave her. She has jumped over his vehicle to stop him and her head had got injured. She has died after a few days after been hospitalized.
Many rumours were spread during the time of her death. Some rumours were that she was pushed down from the vehicle by Kamal and some rumours were that she would have jumped off the vehicle after a fight. Majority believed that she would have got injured as she would have tried to stop the vehicle.
“On my way from work, I stopped at Ramani’s. I got really late and Ramani was mad about that. I got into my vehicle and turned the vehicle to go back. She would have hung trying to stop the vehicle. All of a sudden I heard a huge noise. I stopped the vehicle and I saw her fallen on the ground.” had stated Kamal.
Ramani Barthalomeusz was a resident of Gampaha and she was living in annex at Rajagiriya as it was easy for her go for shooting of the Tele dramas. She passed away when she was only 21 years.
 “Bhagya” was a Tele drama which became popular with the song “Aju thapara lahila” to which she performed a dance. Ramani Barthalomeusz who became Miss Sri Lanka in 1985, represented Miss World Competition. She had acted in Dr. Lester James Peiris’ films “Salalihini Gammanaya” and “Yuganthaya”. She has also acted in Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s stage play “Makarakshaya”. She has faced this unfortunate incident after becoming Kamal’s  boy friend.
Kamal has admitted Ramani Barthalomeusz to emergency unit at the Colombo General Hospital on the 29th of June 1987. She had been unconscious and bleeding. Her head had been injured and she has been taken into a surgery immediately. It was reported that her hair which had been to the length of her feet had been cut and her boy friend had cried holding her hair. She had been fighting for her life after the surgery while depending on the machines for oxygen. Even though many artists gathered around to give her moral support, the doctors could not save her life as her injuries were severe. The doctors have reported that her brain was dead and they have decided that it is pointless to give oxygen to a person whose brain had died. Accordingly, artificial resuscitation has been removed and Ramani Barthalomeusz has passed away on the 30th of June around 10.05 p.m. 
Many questioned her sudden, unexpected death. They suspected that she had been murdered and that it cannot be a natural death. The post mortem has been done by Prof. P.U Thelisinghe who had been a Senior Professor at the University of Colombo. He assistant has been Deputy Judicial Medical Officer, Ananda Samarasekara.
Ramani Barthalomeusz, who has been in her 20s, had been 5feet 8 inches tall and she had been dressed in her night dress. Her hair had been cut for the surgery and she had been bold headed. Apart from these, there had been bruises on her hands and feet, especially on her elbow. Only one side of her head been injured. There had been fractures on the scalp.
Scalp had been severely injured and the brain has been damaged. It had been concluded that her head had hit on a flat surface which has caused the brain injury. When the bruises have been analyzed the doctors have found that they have been caused by the vehicle as she has first hit on it and then she has fallen to the ground. The wounds also have stood as evidence to prove that the wounds have not caused from her been pushed from the vehicle. Accordingly, it was reported that her death has been caused from her falling on a flat surface which had caused brain injury.
The Magistrate Courts have ordered to arrest Kamal Addaraarachchi as it has been proved that it is a murder and not a natural death. His deposition has been that Ramani Barthalomeusz has tried to stop the vehicle and since that matched with the medical report it was proved that he didn’t intend to murder her. Both the report and his deposition proved that he didn’t push her from the vehicle.
Yet, rumours spread all over the country saying that he committed the murder. He was branded for as a murderer. Yet the evidence was not enough to file a case against Kamal. Therefore the Attorney-General was reluctant to take actions to file a law suit against Kamal because he has not intended to kill her. Kamal proved his point by showing his opportunity to leave her to die at the same spot instead of taking her to the hospital. Accordingly the Attorney-General gave the final decision that it cannot be considered as a murder and the death of Ramani Barthalomeusz has been caused by an accident.
Kamal was proved as the innocent party and he had been set free, the remains of Ramani Barthalomeusz  was buried in Borella cemetery.

Article by Harsha Sugathdasa from Sunday Lakbima newspaper.

Watch the video BELOW of one of Ramani Barthalomeusz’s famous songs from the Tele drama- Bhagya