Daily NEWS Srilanka

Protestors who demanded pure drinking water on the issue of water being polluted with a particular factory being responsible for it  and on a certain occasion the protestors had blocked the road and created interference to traffic. At that moment gunshots were fired in the town of Weliweriya on orders received from higher ups and as a consequence three innocent individuals sacrificed their lives. Those who died in this connection were, Akila Dinesh (17) and Ravishan Perera (19) both of whom were students resident in Weliweriya and Nilantha Pushpakumara (29) living in Gampola. It is indeed tragic to say that the deceased were not even indirectly connected to this protest in the least. 

Akila Dinesh who fell a victim to this gunfire was a student in Year 12 at Chandrajothi Vidyalaya, Yakkala. He was caught in this gunfire when he had gone to the town amidst all this confusion to escort his mother as she was getting late to come home. Though he had gone to the town he had been unable to locate her even till 7 or 8 in the night. In the meantime when around 8.15 that night at a moment when the conflict had come to a heated situation, he had had to make an attempt to scrape through this gunfire. It was in that instant that he was subject to gunshots at an unanticipated moment. Though Akila's mother had in the process managed to come home the home-people were stricken with fear as Akila was not at home. Though they had gone in search of him it had been to no avail. Akila had not returned home even till dawn the following day. The next day, having gone to Gampaha National Hospital and checking up, they were able to find the dead Akila there. 

The second victim Ravishan Perera (19) was a student at Udugampola St. Peter's College studying in the Advanced Level class in the Arts Stream. He was of a silent-type spending his time in music and had gone to watch this 'battle' and had unexpectedly faced gunshots and died. His friends have spoken about him in this manner those days: "Ravishan was not someone who would get engaged in fights or conflicts. He's clever in studies in the school. A fine music artiste. At the time he was studying at home he had come to hear that there is a commotion in Weliweriya and had come to Weliweriya town. He had also come with the idea of going for classes. Having witnessed the scene and having heard gunshots he had become scared and therefore had scampered home across a by-lane. It was while running like that that he had faced gunshots".

29 year old Nilantha Pushpakumara was the father of one child and his wife told Criminal Investigation Department, Colombo: "My husband worked at Stom Line in Biyagama. He was boarded in Welipenna, Weliweriya. Last 1st when he was on his way for night duty he spoke at about 8.10 that night. What he told was that there is a protest in Weliweriya about water. That tyres were being burnt ... also tear gas ... as there's no place to go that he would be going inside a church. Then at about 7.35 he said that the protest was going on ... that there was firing ... even tear gas was being sprayed. Also that there's no way to get about and that a lot of people are there. 

At 8.45 his phone did not work. When I spoke the following day to the Akka at the boarding-house she said that Nilantha was not found in the boarding. I went to Weliweriya Police. There I came to know that my husband has been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital. On the 4th, my husband was no more. What the coroner said was that he had died as a result of a blow aimed at him with a blunt instrument. I really don't know as to what happened to him.

Jude Nishantha Perera who testified at the magistrate's autopsy had this to say: "A person called Brigadier Deshapriya Goonawardena of the Army came and told the people to move to a side from the road. The crowd then said, 'give us 10 minutes ... we'll get to a side from the road'. Hearing this he shouted, 'Won't give 10 minutes ... get aside now itself ... hit these fellows!' Then those of the Army and Army people in civil clothes started beating us up with clubs. When the Army people were hammering like this, another crowd of Army soldiers started shooting at wires and bulbs above. To escape attacks from the Army some people ran into the Weliweriya Church. Shots were fired even towards the inside of the church".

This is what Nimal Siripala de Silva, the then Minister told the parliament in relation to the attack launched by the Army intervening in this: "The Army has been given powers to maintain public law and order in Gampaha District under the Special Gazette notification of No. 1722/17 of 2011/09/06".

Gampaha Chief Magistrate Miss Kavinda Nanayakkara deduced that two individuals had died from gunshot injuries as a consequence of  a protest asking for pure drinking water in Weliweriya and that one other individual had died from an assault. This conclusion was arrived at after a period of 3 years. She then arrived at the further conclusion that all these deaths are considered as crimes and ordered the police to look for the criminals and to take them into custody.