Ranna UNF rally victim a staunch Govt. supporter

By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

In a bizarre turn in the tragic death of the 64- year- old victim of election violence, Kusumawathi Kuruppuarachchi, who was shot dead when gunmen fired on a bus carrying the UNP supporters to a rally, her family says that the deceased was a supporter of President Rajapaksa. She has gone to the UNP rally, ostensibly to collect welfare items issued at the rally, says her husband, 70- year- old Martin.
Martin says, “We have always been working for the Rajapaksas. We are their men. It was the president who gave a job for my son- in- law. We are poor but we live on our own. Me and my wife were living in our mahagedara at Vitharandeniya. We have five children. Two are sons and the other three are daughters. Both sons are married and live in Kekanadure. One daughter is married and is living in Suriyawewa. The other two daughters are also married and live close to our house”

Cultivates

“I can’t work due to health reasons. My wife was the one who earned for both of us. She cultivates the garden and sells coconuts. On that fateful morning, she went to Vitharandeniya fair to trade. Soon she came back home in a hurry and I asked her why. She said that some people asked her to accompany them for a meeting and that she can get some provisions if she goes. She said that she wanted to go because of that and went out saying the bus will be arriving to take them at the “Unapandura, Rote para” One of Kusumawathi’s daughters, 39 years old K.G. Chanalatha, a mother of five said:
“I live with my husband near the house where my parents live. Around 9.30 AM on January 12, my mother went saying she has to go for a meeting. But she didn’t know where she was going. We too didn’t know. But we always worked for the SLFP. The president gave my husband a job”. Her husband is E.A. Sunil said:
“The president gave me the job when he was working as the Minister of Fisheries. That was on March 21,2004. The job was at the Tangalle fishery harbour. We have been always working for the president. None of us know how they got our mother- in- law to go for this meeting. If they promise to give some provisions, she agrees to go to any meeting. I think that’s why she went there”
Kusumawathi, a resident of Vitharandeniya, was killed when the bus she and other supporters going to a UNP rally was shot at, when it was passing the ‘gewal 40’ area in Thaluththa, Hungama. The bus was at the time travelling to Tissamaharama via Thaluththa, Netolpitiya, Tangalle. The rally in Hambanthota had been organized by Hambanthota UNP organizer Sajith Premadasa. The bus was shot at with a T5 6 rifle. The alleged killers had come in a ‘Bajaj Discovery bike behind the bus and had sped away after shooting at the bus from all four directions.

Killed

Kusumawathi was the only person who was killed in the incident. She had been shot in the stomach and was in a serious condition. The bus immediately sped to the Matara hospital and she was admitted there. She succumbed to injuries after a few hours. Her alleged killer has been identified as Sampath Vidanapathirana, son of S. Vidanapathirana, a former chairman of the Tangalle Pradheshiya Sabha. The bike was ridden by a 26- year- old youth identified as L.A. Sameera. The suspects have been identified as being supporters of the UPFA. Many passengers had identified them and complaints were lodged against them.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered the IGP to hold an immediate investigation into the incident and arrest the suspects.
A special police team arrested the two suspects around 3.30 PM on January 13, while they were in hiding in a coconut plot in Pattiyapola, Hungama. Children of the victim said that she was an ardent supporter of the UPFA.