According to police information, more than 20 active politicians have been shot dead by underworld groups since the year 2000.
During this period, three chairmen of local government institutions — including the Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha, Lasantha Wickramasekera — have been killed by the underworld. In addition, a significant number of local government councillors have also lost their lives. Most of these killings stemmed from conflicts within the underworld, rooted in dealings and alliances formed between politicians and underworld figures.
The murder of Mr. Lasantha Wickramasekera marks the third instance of a local government chairman being killed while in office. Notably, all three of these murders occurred in the Southern Province.
In 2003, the Chairman of the Hikkaduwa Municipal Council, Mr. Gamini Pinnaduwa, was shot dead in a similar manner. A gunman who arrived on a motorcycle opened fire at Pinnaduwa while he was in his office at the Municipal Council.
The next victim was the Chairman of the Rathgama Pradeshiya Sabha, Mr. Manoj Mendis, who was shot dead at a tourist hotel in Hikkaduwa on March 23, 2015. At the time, Mendis’ name had been linked to the murders of the Hikkaduwa Municipal Council Chairman, a former member of the Rathgama Pradeshiya Sabha, and his rival candidate during an election.
He was later imprisoned in connection with these incidents but was still elected as Chairman of the Rathgama Pradeshiya Sabha with the highest number of votes while being held in remand custody.
Mr. Mendis had been accused of multiple crimes including murder, robbery, and other offences. He was reportedly introduced to the criminal underworld by a former Chief Minister from a province outside the Southern Province. Mendis was ultimately murdered by the notorious southern underworld figure “Podi Lassie,” as an act of revenge for the killing of Podi Lassie’s father.
The Colombo Municipal Council has recorded the highest number of local government members killed by the underworld, with four members murdered during this period. Investigations revealed that most of these murders were linked to disputes arising from drug trafficking. Two members of the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council were also gunned down by underworld assailants. Even the father of Sri Lankan cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva was among those murdered by criminal networks — and many of those responsible remain at large to this day.
Several provincial council members have also been targeted and killed by the underworld, including two members from the Western Province who were assassinated for taking action against criminal groups. Among them was Sunil Mendis, a minister of the People’s Front, who was shot dead at his residence in Ragama.
Police investigations at the time revealed that the murder had been carried out under a contract arranged by an underworld-linked local government chairman, in retaliation for preventing the dismantling and sale of an iron bridge. The underworld members involved in the crime — including “Kimbula Ela Guna” and “Kota Gamini” — are currently held in an open prison in India.
The murder of Western Provincial Council member Namal Gunawardena was also attributed to the underworld. The assassination took place in Kollupitiya and was believed to have been carried out by politically connected criminal elements.
During this same period, M.K. Ranjith, a minister of the Southern Provincial Council known as “Chandi Malli,” was murdered in front of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Many such politically linked killings have taken place in the past, highlighting the deep entanglement between politics and the underworld in Sri Lanka.
— Reported by Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe
