Violent Murder In Kohuwala

By Raisa Wickrematunge

Last Saturday night (19), Rathnayaka Mudiyanselage Kumarasena was agitated. Kumarasena, who worked as a driver at United Tractors, told someone that he had found out his wife of ten years was having an affair. He had been thrown out of the family house. He was visibly upset, even tearful at what had occurred. His co-workers consoled him.
However, no one foresaw what was coming next. On Sunday (20) morning, around 8:45 a.m. Kumarasena returned home, armed with a knife. He stabbed Shiromi, but she was able to run out of the house and on to the road. Kumarasena followed and continued his attack. She died shortly thereafter, while horrified neighbours looked on, according to Kumarasena’s colleagues.
Afterwards, Kumarasena stabbed himself and took poison as well in an attempt to take his own life. However, he survived the ordeal, as neighbours overpowered him. He was later admitted to the Kalubowila hospital, where he was put on a ventilator. The top of an otherwise nondescript lane in Kohuwala was papered with posters when The Sunday Leader visited the Kumarasena’s home, where Shiromi’s body lies.
The only visible sign of the attack she endured was a small bandage on her forehead. She was attended by grieving family members, including Kumarasena’s father. They did not want to talk about what had happened. “Please leave us in peace,” they lamented. The neighbours too claimed ignorance. The sequence of events was related by Kumarasena’s former colleagues, who were shocked by what happened.
Colleague Deepal said that Kumarasena was a “normal, innocent guy who was fond of his kids. There was nothing to indicate that he would do something like this.”
What makes Kumarasena’s case interesting is not just the violent nature of the crime committed. On the steps of the Kalubowila hospital, the attending nurse told United Tractors employees that Kumarasena had as many as 23 stab wounds. Yet, it was claimed that the neighbours only saw the man stab himself twice. Although it was conceded that the nurse could have made a mistake, it was difficult to ascertain which report was correct. A representative at the ICU at the Kalubowila hospital said that they were unable to release information about patients. Kumarasena is not allowed visitors either. There are armed guards posted outside his room, as he is under arrest. In fact, his own colleagues were not allowed in to see him the morning after the incident.
A member of the police said that the incident had begun as a domestic dispute. He also confirmed that Kumarasena had stabbed and poisoned himself after killing his wife.  Kumarasena’s life still hangs in the balance; he had not yet been discharged from Kalubowila hospital at the time this newspaper went to print.