A Killing That Is Creating Waves

The assassination of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara has sent shockwaves through Sri Lanka’s political and security circles, reigniting fierce debate over governance, accountability, and the resurgence of organised crime in the country’s south.

What might have been dismissed as yet another “underworld” killing has quickly morphed into a political storm—one that questions the State’s credibility, police responsiveness, and the blurred lines between crime and politics.

A Warning Ignored

According to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Weligama Organiser Rehan Jayawickrama, the tragedy could have been prevented. He disclosed that as early as August 2025, the slain Chairman had written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), warning of threats to his life and the possibility of an assassination attempt either near the courts or at the Pradeshiya Sabha office.

“He requested protection,” Jayawickrama said. “And you still believe he deserved to be killed?”

Jayawickrama accused the government of attempting to justify the murder by labelling it an “underworld issue,” despite the documented warnings. “This was an elected official, not a gangster gunned down in a dark alley,” he said. “He was killed while sitting in his official chair, in broad daylight.”

Politics and Blame

The killing has exposed deep political rifts. Jayawickrama claimed that government-aligned voices and National People’s Power (NPP) supporters were now “recycling old allegations” about the late Chairman’s criminal past to distract from the failure to protect him.

“Everything the NPP is now bringing up was common knowledge six months ago,” he said. “If these accusations are so old, how did he contest, win, and become Chairman under their administration?”

He also alleged that many of the cases filed against Wickramasekara originated during the tenure of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, under what he described as “a corrupt police network.” Multiple requests for security, he added, were met with silence.

The Underworld Connection

Police, however, maintain that the killing bears all the hallmarks of a contract execution linked to rival underworld figures. A senior police officer told reporters that Dubai-based crime boss Amila Sepala Ratnayake, alias “Rotumba Amila,” is suspected of masterminding the assassination.

Investigators believe the gunman, connected to Rotumba Amila’s network, entered the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha office under the pretext of official business, shot Wickramasekara at close range, and escaped on a waiting motorcycle.

The murdered Chairman was said to have been a close associate of Nadun Chinthaka Wickramarathna, alias “Harak Kata,” a notorious southern drug trafficker now in remand custody. Police sources suggest that Rotumba Amila, Harak Kata, and Wickramasekara were once allies whose relationship soured after a major dispute—forcing Amila to flee to Dubai.

Intelligence officials say that both Harak Kata and Wickramasekara had faced repeated death threats from Rotumba Amila’s faction over the years.

A Nation on Edge

In Parliament, Minister Ananda Wijepala told legislators that arrests were imminent. “Police teams have already uncovered crucial information bringing the probe close to a breakthrough,” he said, promising that the suspects would be apprehended within days.

But among opposition ranks, skepticism remains high. “The duplicity is glaring,” Jayawickrama said. “One minute they preach ‘system change,’ the next they justify killings inside public offices. At this rate, everything under their watch will be brushed off as ‘underworld activity.’”

For residents of Weligama, the murder has shattered a sense of local stability. Shops remain open, but conversations in tea stalls and street corners circle back to one question: if an elected local leader can be executed inside his own office, who is truly safe?

Beyond One Murder

The killing of Lasantha Wickramasekara is more than a local tragedy—it is a mirror held up to the nation’s political culture, where the line between public duty and private power has long been blurred.

Whether this crime will lead to genuine reform or fade into another headline may depend less on the next arrest and more on whether Sri Lanka’s institutions can finally protect those who dare to lead.