Tragic story of an innocent individual who has to pay her way through life for no fault of her own!
It was reported last week that a young woman who was traveling in a bus was shot dead by the police during a shootout between a group of robbers and the police.
My child was taken to God’s place. Oh God, did you go to Anuradhapura Pooja to cause this kind of disaster? She called me and told me that she will come on Monday. Mothers stay carefully… My precious daughter called me to say that she has gone to Anuradhapura with her brothers and will come on Monday. But I never dreamed that she would come like this…’
This is what Iresha’s wheeping mother had said
The entire Haburugala area was shocked by the lamentation of this mother. Iresha must have had a thousands of hopes and dreams in her life. It is because of those dreams that she must have thought that her trip to Canada would be faster when she offer a offering to the Temple of mother Gnana.
She had decided to go to Canada with the intention of getting a job, building a nice house, providing a comfortable life for her parents and living freely. She had told that to her mother. But her fate was interrupted before all that. She had to leave her life unexpectedly. This fatal incident happened on the second in the Gampaha Dangowita area on the main road from Colombo to Kandy. A group of Nittambuwa police officers had arrived at the scene at around 3 am when the robbers were robbing the liquor store.
At that time, the police fired several shots to fight the robbers, and one of the shots fired hit Iresha, who was in travelling in a CTB bus on the nearby road.
Two robbers who were shot by the police are receiving treatment at Ragama Hospital. The police had said that they had committed several other robberies and had come to rob this liquer shop.
A resident near the Dangovita Liquor Store commented on the incident.
‘Looking out through the window, I heard a voice talking. That is why the police was informed. The police arrived within minutes. After that, the sound of gunshots was heard…’
Police Media Spokesman Mr. Nihal Talduwa had commented on this incident as follows.
As soon as they saw the police officers, they made a threat. At that time, they had a firearm in their hands. while threatening Police, they were running away. It was at this time that the shot was fired. It is suspected that a bullet hit at that time…’
Iresha, who was shot, was already dead when she was admitted to the Vatupitivala hospital. A 29-year-old girl named Iresha Shyamali, a resident of Vannigahawatte, Bentota Haburugala, had died. Iresha, the youngest of the family with a brother and a sister, received her schooling from Haburugala Alakaka Maha Vidyalaya.
Although she passed her high school with flying colours, she did not get a university seat. Undeterred, she also worked at the Mahagoda Bank branch belonging to the Bentota Cooperative Society for some time. Later, she studied a business management course in the field of tourism and obtained a master’s degree from a private institution. That is because of her strong desire to go to Canada. Also, Iresha has been working in the tourism industry, and recently she quit it because she got a visa to go to Canada at the invitation of her friend.
Prasad Kumara, Iresha’s elder brother, testified at Vathupitiwala Hospital on the 3rd said.
We are settled in Kiribathgoda. My sister, wife and I went to Anuradhapura on the second day. We worshiped the Jayashree Maha Bodhi and also went to the temple of the Ghana Mother. Went to the temple and offered a pooja to invoked blessings. We left Anuradhapura for Colombo in the evening. We had fallen asleep due to travel fatigue.
We were in the front seats of the bus. There were not many people in the bus, so my sister sat on the right side of the back seat. After passing Warakapola, it was found to be a short distance away. A sound like a gunshot was heard. The bus kept on coming without stopping. After passing some distance, I looked at my sister. I saw blood coming from her head and nose. The sister was unconscious. We shouted and stopped the bus. Nittambuwa police intervened and took my sister to the hospital. Later we got to know that my sister is no more…’
Just a day before, Iresha’s mother had consulted a fortune teller who had told her that she had a strong evil. Because of this, Iresha’s family was very afraid. Because of this, she had to perform various Seth Shanti and Bodhi pujas. Iresha’s mother had also told her elder brother about this. The brother had said, I told my mother ‘Because my sister’s time period is bad we will worship the Jayashree Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura and offer a seth puja to the Gana mother and bring sister home. We will take her with us’. This is why Iresha’s mother had sent Iresha to her elder son’s house to go to Anuradhapura.
Neighbors told that Iresha if she saw an injured animal on the street, she would go to the pharmacy and even bring medicine and heal the animal.
Iresha’s elder sister Imali Rasika said this about her sister’s death.
My sister was in Bentara with my mother and father. My sister went to our brother’s house two weeks ago. To go to Anuradhapura to fulfil a pooja. But the planned trip to Anuradhapura got postponed. The reschedulled journey took place on the 2nd.. At 12 o’clock that night, the brothers left for Colombo in a bus from Galenbindunuwewa. When reaching near Dangovita c brother’s wife heard a noise. SHe thought it must have been the sound of firecrackers.
My sister has been sleeping. At that time, my sister in law’s body was covered with glass powder and even my sister’s body too had pieses of glass. When they looked at my sister, they saw it was bleeding from her nose. That’s when it was known that she got shot. We never thought that sister would come home like this…’
Iresha’s mother had also said:
Oh, my daughter said, mother, after I come back from Canada, let’s finish the land issues and build our house beautifully, I can’t do those government jobs and just get paid. My daughter always said that the road going through middle of our garden should be removed as soon as possible. Mother tell father to not to work in the paddy field let’s buy rice from the shop and eat. My daughter always told me that mother and father cannot work hard at this age…’
The post-mortem examination of her death was conducted by Mr. Ramesh Alagiyawanna, Specialist Forensic Officer of Wathupitiyala Hospital, and the Nittambuwa Police led the inquest. The last rites of her body were done on the fifth.
However, the police have now worked to reveal information about the robbery related to this incident. It has been revealed that this criminal gang was led by a criminal named Sampath, a resident of Wattala area. He was the main suspect of this gang. They have been suspiciously hanging around the liquor store on the second , parking the van near the main road from Colombo to Kandy . Liquer stores is located 250 meters from Nittambuwa Police Station.
According to the information received by the police, the Nittambuwa police station OIC had directed a group of officers on mobile patrol to the relevant location. At that time, the suspects who were robbing the liquor store saw the police approaching and ran away in the van, and the police chased after the robbers. At that time, the police had fired several shots at the van. It was reported that one of the shots had hit the CTB bus passing by.
Many people are of the opinion that this death happened due to the carelessness of the police officers. If such an incident happened in another country , a huge compensation would have been paid.
Bullets don’t care. But those who bear arms must have a heart and a chest. Shouldn’t they think sympathetically? If the armed officers are carelessly using bullets and kill the passengers on the road?
Why are these careless police officers not given proper training? But now everything is over. Iresha’s dreams are over. Shouldn’t justice be met to this innocent person who has to succumb to the bullet fired by law enforcing officers. Who is responsible and who should compensate to Iresha.
If they had been given proper training to shoot at the target while training as a police officer, such innocent people would not have to pay with their lives. So she would be still alive today.
No one but her family will miss her. Due to the economic problems that are getting worse day by day, we hear about robberies and crimes in every part of the country. It is impossible to imagine where the country is going. A situation has arisen in the country where it is not possible to return home even after leaving home safely. Everyone is repeatedly asked to live carefully. Everyone’s insecurity has increased.
Life is very uncertain. No matter how safe we are or how safe we travel, our lives are not safe. one second is enough to Change your life A life is lost unexpectedly We all have to leave life at some point. May you rest in peace sister Iresha. Do not suffer such an untimely death in your rebirths…
Nilanthi Renuka