By Faraz Shauketaly in Galle

The murder last Wednesday of Dushantha Seneviratne in a suburb of Galle, has presented his family and supporters with a puzzle. The popular 37 year-old Galle Municipal Councillor was the leader of the opposition who had entered politics in 1997 and had been re-elected ever since. However there is more to it than meets the eye.

Amidst sensational information received, it can be revealed that the Seneviratne family have had a long and controversial involvement in the murky world of strong arm tactics and that Chandana Gunathilaka, a 34 year old with three children suffered an acid attack on him some months prior to the murder this week.

Dushantha was murdered in broad daylight in the early hours of Wednesday morning very close to his home. The father of four, was on his way to drop his older children to school and had stopped off – as he was wont to do routinely – at the Ananda Bakery in Beligahahandiya, near Galle. He stepped out of the bakery and was hurrying towards his car, where all four of his children were waiting, when he was shot some five times in the back, falling face up. The gunman then fired twice more into his chest before speeding off on his motorbike in the direction of Galle.

Last breath

As his older daughter ran towards her father, he used up the last of his strength to wave her away from him before going into a coma that he never recovered from. Dushantha Seneviratne was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. This was murder it appeared in the first degree. Dushantha and his children were obviously followed during their morning school run and the killer struck in front of the bakery.

The community around were shocked. One local businessman said that he was “fed up with life” no sooner he heard the shots and realised to his horror what had taken place. Overcome with emotion he said he had no desire to know what else had happened. Only that a popular personality had been robbed of his life, in the prime of his journey and that it was shocking that four children and a young wife were now left bereft.

Controversy

The Seneviratne family, his sister Anusha explained, “had their own share of controversy” but that controversy had nought to do with her younger brother. He had dedicated his life to politics and he was a happy man. He was involved in the business of a building contractor and had just distributed some posters announcing his intention to run in the provincial elections which are yet to be announced.

The controversy that Anusha Seneviratne spoke of surrounds her nephew, son of one of her elder brothers. In that case, her 22 year old nephew,  the son of Suddha Seneviratne, was involved in a fracas and subsequently died.

The family involvement in the murky and shadowy world of strong arm methodologies goes a long way back – some quarters claim to the 1980s and the communal riots. Older brother Kumara Seneviratne has also had brushes with the law and is known to the police in various investigations they have conducted. Kumara is at present incarcerated in connection with an acid throwing attack on Chandana Gunathilaka. 

The hapless Chandana Gunathilaka was forced to drink acid and in the process had acid spilt on his face, arms and legs. Horribly scarred, Chandana is at a loss to understand why this was done to him by Kumara Seneviratne. Chandana Gunathilaka says that the day before the acid attack on him he had a good chat with both the brothers – Suddha and Kumara.

It was Suddha who was his friend and he knew Kumara too. As a result, Chandana’s brother too  is being interviewed  by police in connection with the murder of Dushantha Seneviratne – probing to see if there was a revenge attack.

Warning

Anusha went on to say that a friend of the family had spoken to Dushantha from overseas and had told him to be careful as there was information that Dushantha was in some “danger.” Even though her brother had mentioned this event, he showed no signs of any concern at all.

A distraught young wife is calling for a full and proper investigation which will yield results. A very pessimistic by-stander there told us that Mrs. Seneviratne was perhaps hoping for too much as he was sure that this too would go the route of unsolved murders. He enlightened us by saying that the police have said a “micro” weapon was used and questioned as to how and who would get their hands on such a weapon.

The small hamlet close to Beligahahandiya was in a state of shock and many were the comments as to how safe was “our freedom” when subversive elements were able to freely roam the streets and perpetrate acts of lawlessness with apparent impunity.

Meanwhile the future is certainly not bright for Chandana Gunathilaka who languishes at the National Hospital in Colombo, finding it difficult to eat, talk or indeed sleep.

(faraz@thesundayleader.lk)