Update : If it is confirmed that it was a suicide, the former IGP will not receive official honors.

The post-mortem examination and autopsy of the country's 35th Inspector General of Police, Mr. C.D. Wickramaratne, who died from a gunshot wound, were scheduled to be held yesterday (17).

As an initial step in these investigations, the Judicial Medical Officer of Colombo East Mulleriyawa Hospital visited the former IGP's residence, conducted an on-site inspection, and took steps to obtain the relevant medical notes.

If the judicial medical examination and the magisterial inquiry officially confirm this as a suicide, police authorities indicate that, according to existing regulations, it will not be possible to dress the former IGP's body in uniform or accord him police honors. This marks the first instance in the history of the Sri Lanka Police where an individual holding the rank of Inspector General of Police has died by suicide, and high-ranking police sources state that no police honors have been accorded to any police officer who committed suicide previously.

The shooting that caused this death occurred yesterday morning inside his residence in the Thalahena area of Malabe. The police constable who handed over the firearm during police questioning stated that the former IGP had requested his service firearm, saying he wanted to inspect it. After receiving the weapon, the officer was sent away with instructions to bring a glass of water, and subsequently, the shooting occurred. Investigating officers state that it appears a bullet struck the former IGP's chest area. The relevant revolver was also found by the police at the scene and taken into custody for further investigation.

According to police sources, former IGP Wickramaratne, as usual, engaged in physical exercises yesterday morning with his two security officers without any unusual occurrences. Afterwards, he returned home around 7:30 AM, and a short while later, a gunshot sound was heard from inside the house. Immediately reacting to the gunshot, family members and neighbors, with the assistance of the two police officers on security duty, promptly rushed him, bleeding from his wounds, to the Colombo East Mulleriyawa Hospital. Doctors who examined him there declared that he had already passed away. Mr. Wickramaratne, who was in his sixties at the time of his death, was a father of two sons.

Upon learning of this unexpected incident, officers from Talangama Police and several other police stations, along with high-ranking police officers, arrived at the scene and commenced investigations. Officers from the Nugegoda Division Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit and police fingerprint experts also arrived at the crime scene to collect scientific evidence. Under the instructions of the current Inspector General of Police, Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasooriya, two special police teams have been appointed to ascertain if any personal reasons influenced the former IGP's shooting, and they have questioned family members, including Mr. Wickramaratne's wife and children, to gather information. Further investigations are being conducted by Malabe Police under the supervision of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Western Province, Mr. Sajeeva Medawatta, on the instructions of Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Western South District, Mr. Samantha Wijesekera, and led by Senior Superintendent of Police for the Nugegoda Division, Mr. Mangala Dehideniya.

Information has emerged that the former IGP was driven to this unfortunate decision by severe distress and mental pressure that arose within his family recently. The root of this problem was a divorce case filed by his son's wife, claiming she was in a close relationship with another person and seeking separation from the marriage. Further aggravating the situation, the daughter-in-law had also filed a complaint with the Police Children and Women's Bureau, alleging that she had been subjected to domestic violence.

The manner in which the Sri Lanka Police Department, where he had honorably held the highest office for many years, handled an internal family matter of his own, and the investigations conducted by the Children and Women's Bureau, caused Mr. Wickramaratne deep distress. He recently expressed to several close associates that he was extremely saddened by how these investigations were proceeding. Unable to bear this family dispute and the resulting social stigma he faced in the twilight of his life, he was deeply disheartened.

Former IGP Wickramaratne was a deeply religious person, abstained from meat, alcohol, and tobacco. Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Jagath Fonseka, who trained alongside him at the Kalutara Police Training College, stated that Mr. Wickramaratne regularly participated in meditation programs even during his tenure as Inspector General of Police.