Light-readers have said that somewhere she is confined -- How Gampola teacher who came near her house was found from Mahaweli river

Light-readers have said that somewhere she is confined -- How Gampola teacher who came near her house was found from Mahaweli river

Students studying English Language during the last 3 years at Hatton Sri Pada Vidyalaya have shown a higher value. This situation principal Mr. Wasantha Kaviraj considered it a great privilege not because it brought great pride to the school but to note that children of an area associated with cultivations around reaping a big benefit. Not only the principal but the whole school and villagers too were aware that it was because of Chandima Nisansala Rathnayaka who was given a fresh appointment in the school for all the reasons for this. The principal who based his know-how to develop the school foundation to a higher level has for this very reason handed over grade 6 to
teacher Nisansala. 

Chandima Nisansala teacher who was a silent character was adroit in her duties. For this very reason she ably carried out the duties entrusted to her and without stopping there made efforts to open the eyes of other children in school. Knowing very well about G.C.E. (O/L) students took steps to develop English Literature necessary for the exam and also some English words necessary for their day to day living. Nisansala Rathnayaka in fact was a graduate and had completed her degree at Peradeniya campus in the English medium. Because of that she was able to secure a teaching appointment in a short period of time. 

Though she worked at a school in Hatton educational zone this way, hir birthplace happens to be Gampola Kirana. She had to travel about 60 kilometres to school from her home. But she of course attended to such a tiresome journey with enjoyment daily in the company of other friends who travelled with her. She would set off from Gampola early in the morning and would arrive in Hatton enveloped with rain and cold and return to her home at Gampola in the evening. When Nisansala was preparing to go home the rain also has started and she then started her journey holding up her umbrella. She next crossed the Kirapana railway track close to Gampola railway station and she was to go towards a by-road heading towards home and that incidentally was passing Gampola higher education centre. How she was travelling along this by-road was recorded on the CCTV camera of this institute and that was as 4.06 in the evening. From there the distance to her home is something even less than another 100 metres. 

27 year old Nisansala has only a younger brother. He is an advanced level student at Kandy Sylvester's College and by name is Tharaka Rathnayaka. Mother Chandra Jayaweera is employed at the ayurveda section of Gampola municipal council, while her father is one Sarath Rathnayaka. Even by 5.30 in the evening Nisansala has not turned up at home. Since the normal time the daughter would come home had passed, the mother was somewhat disturbed at heart particularly because by that time the rain had aggravated and dusk was falling. 

She then began to inquire into the reason for her daughter's delay. She first thought that since it was world children's day there could be some event in school or else whether there was a meeting in school. Not willing to delay any further, she phoned the principal of the school and inquired about the daughter. The response ofThe mother who became worried on that occasion started informing the kith and kin and those around the house. These people inquired around the vicinity to no avail and therefore notified Gampola police. 

Gampola police incidentally is just a short distance away from Nisansala's home. As such, police officers too started a search. There is a concrete drain on the route taken by Nisansala and water used to flow only when there is shower. Though this drain is covered with concrete slabs, at some spots it is not so while it actually ws risky at certain points, it was seen. Under this suspicion the villagers even went as far as dislodging concrete slabs at some places. But there was no clue to be found at any of those places as such. Subsequently, action was taken to launch a search on the shrubbery forest in the environs as well as suspicious house too. 

Even with this search operations there were no signs of the pair of sandals that could be identified as having been worn by Nisansala, an umbrella or the handbag taken by her. As a result, the relatives got together and took steps in checking CCTV records of the educational institute nearby. On seen her image it was clear that Nisansala was trekking home. Later as there was no substantial evidence about her, some persons were subjected to questioning by police.

By that time Nisansala was engaged to a sub inspector attached to Gampola police. Sanjeewa Suresh by name, he was by that time posted to Mannar area and when Nisansala had disappeared he had been on leave and had arrived at his home in Horana. As soon as he got news about Nisansala's disappearance he had promptly come to Gampola and engaged in search operations. The registration of both Nisansala and Sanjeewa was in fact arranged for the 29th of this month. When Nisanala disappearing when arrangements were underway for that event was something that Sanjeewa could not believe, he said. Under these circumstances they thus commenced search operations for Nisansala in various means. 

While involved in support of the law, Nisansala's mother and relatives went behind soothsayers too. Thus they tried soothsayers from various places and at every such place it was told that Nisansala is being confined or isolated in one place. In the meantime her telephone data were perused according to Gampola police judicial procedures and intelligence service and police teams were engaged and investigation procedures were rigidly exercised. 

While no clue was found even upto the day of Nisansala's disappearance this news was flashed across the media too. As a result brother media correspondent Gampola - Katugasthota Dhammika Gunawardena provided us with a fantastic piece of news. "I Machan ... a young female corpse is being washed away along Mahaweli river. It is now stopped near Siyadel hotel. I will be going there. I think it's your teacher". We then responded saying "Okay ... you go and check her appearance and tell us". While replying that way without telling the parents we gave the news to a relative's house. We informed not to get alarmed and to notify us when our friend after checking her appearance and after we inform ... to tell the parents. 

But the reply received from Dhammika after that was not something anticipated. "Machan ... there's too much water in the river ... its muddy water that's flowing. That body also has got washed away from there. I went even upto Lewella bridge and went even downwards from there. There's army and police here. But they are those who are going somewhere else. Nobody is worried about the dead body". What we later came to know was that the body which flowed in a downward direction along the river has cascaded from Polgolla reservoir and had disappeared. 

On our notification of this dead body oblivion to anybody in the house, relatives of Nisansala have gone to Kandy - Katugasthota had gone along the river upto Waththegama and on searching ... this information was confirmed. Gampola police too have taken action to inform Waththegama, Kundasale, Thalathu Oya and Theldeniya police stations about this dead body. 

7 days have elapsed since the disappearance of Nisansala. On 7th day evening Theldeniya police happened to receive some news from a fisherman to the effect that a female dead body is to be seen towards Haragama in Victoria reservoir. As such, Theldeniya police conveyed this message to Thalathu oya police and they informed this to Gampola police around 6 in the evening. Gampola immediately accompanied Nisansala's father's younger brother to that spot carrying all necessary equipment necessary for the journey. 

When they arrived at the location where the dead body was, the time was around 8 in the night and police who picked up two divers from Polgolla area approached the corpse and when taking the body ashore it was close upon 10 in the night. At that moment Nisansala's father's brother too was unable to identify the body concerned. After bringing the body ashore, Thalathu oya after providing security, Nisansala's parents, relatives as well as Sanjeewa Suresh were called to the scene and were made to identify the body. 

The body that was in the waters for a period of 7 days was almost totally beyond recognition; but a part of the sari she was dressed in was still stuck to her body and parents and relatives of Nisansala identified her by the yellow coloured thread tied to her hand and her blouse. Police personnel of Gampola police too were present at that spot and carried out inquiries while an order was issued by officer in charge of Gampola crime division, Mr. Kapila Bandara and Gampola district judge, Mr. Shrinath Wijeysekera in this connection. 

Accordingly on the afternoon of the 8th Mr. M. Sarik Deen of Kandy magistrate court No. 2 arrived at the place and conducted the magisterial inquiry. Nisansala's father Weerasingha Mudiyanselage Rathnayaka who provided evidence had this to say: "My daughter is an innocent child. She was to marry. What I ask is to conduct a formal inquiry about the tragedy which fell upon my daughter. We want to know the truth".  A younger brother of Nisansala also gave evidence on the occasion. "After Nisansala duwa went missing right from the beginning I had a suspicion that duwa had fallen into a drain and was carried away. Others in the family sought support from things like occult work like 'yanthra - manthra. I went and searched from places of which I got information. I even checked about a dead body which for some days was supposed to be floating on Mahaweli river". 

Chandima Nisansala has had her preliminary education at Gampola St. Joseph's Balika Maha Vidyalaya. After getting through her G.C.E. (O/L) examination she gained entrance to Kandy Pushpadana Balika Vidyalaya and after sitting for the advanced level she entered Peradeniya university and completed her degree in the English medium. 

Nisansala's mother Mrs Chandra Jayaweera who expressed ideas about her said: "I have only a daughter and a son. Because duwa was clever in her studies she managed to achieve some status. Duwa got a teaching appointment. That first appointment she got at Hatton Sri Pada Vidyalaya. She had decided to marry and the names were to be registered. That putha is a person in police. The registration was arranged for the 29th of this month. We can't think what happened to duwa". 

At the post-mortem a necklace of 3 pounds was intact round her neck and officer in charge of Gampola crime division remarked that it was covered by her body that was swollen and remained safe that manner. After the post-mortem Nisansala's body was brought to her her hometown Gampola and together with her relatives and villagers the body was taken to Gampola public cemetery. 

Description and photographs: Gampola - Madhawa Bandara