We know that the best protection for a child in this world is with their mother. If a child receives unconditional love from the moment he/she is born, it will only come from the mother. But it is sad to hear from society that it is not the case always. Such mothers are a disgrace to motherhood and the much venerated term “mother”.
Recently, we heard about a murder committed by a such a rude woman from Upper Delwala area in Nivithigala. A seven-year-old girl named Harshika Harshani Kumari, who studied in the second year of a school in Malsiripura area, was found brutally beaten to death by her mother and dumped in a manure sack and dropped in to an abandoned mine. The mother of the murdered girl and another pregnant woman were arrested by the Delwala police on the 7th. The suspected mother of the murdered child was brought to the place where the child’s body was buried on the morning of the 11th under police protection and the local residents worked hard to recover the body according to the order issued by the Forensic Medical Officer of Ratnapura Teaching Hospital Dr. Muditha Kudagama.
The girl’s body, which was covered in white manure bag , was badly decomposed. The police revealed that the bones of the girl, her head, a small skirt, a t-shirt and three granite stones were also found in the manure cover. According to the suspect’s confession, the girl’s body was recovered only three months after the murder.
The murdered girl Harshika Harshani Kumari lived in Malsiripura Panliyadda area. This little Harshani’s 29-year-old mother had gone to the Malsiripura police on July 7 and file a complaint. Saying that her seven-year-old daughter has gone missing in Delwala area of Ratnapura. She told the police that the girl’s father took her with him. Accordingly, the girl’s father was also called to the police and questioned, and it was confirmed that no such abduction had taken place. The Malsiripura police had informed this to Delwala police.
Accordingly, the Delwala police took steps to start further investigations. Mr. Amal Keerthi, officer in charge of Delwala Police, brought the girl’s mother to the police station and questioned her, but there too she said that the girl was taken by the girl’s father. According to the statement of the girl’s mother, the person who was called as the girl’s father was also called to the Delwala police for questioning. He had said this in front of the police investigating officer
Oh sir, I took this woman and three children to my friend’s house in Delwala, but I did not bring a single child along with me. That woman only know what happened to the child….’
According to his statement, the police suspected the girl’s mother. During her interrogation, she had to confess like this at the beginning of the murder.
She suffered a lot with her three children due to poverty at home. The children’s father did not care for the children. Because of this, she worked very hard to keep the children alive. Unable to bear the loss, I went to work in a graphite mine. She was barely able to satisfy his hunger by working in the mines. The man who took care of the graphite mine (guard) promised to help me while working in this graphite mine. A married man and has five children. He was in love with me at first but changed later. His native place is Kelaniya. While there, had met a friend. who had asked to come home one day from Delwala and had said would come with the family including the three children.
Accordingly, we went to our friend’s house in Delwala, intending to stay for two or three days. In that house was Delwala’s friend’s wife, who was expecting another baby. Both of them are in that house. They treated us well. After a few days, he left me and the three children at his friend’s house in Delwala and he went back to Kelaniya saying that he would come to take me in a day or two. It was during this time that I developed a sexual intimacy with the Delwala friend. Both the legal wife and the mistress had no objection to it. Meanwhile, the wife of this friend’s (legal – husband) 06-year-old child had brought honey rings one day. Our child secretly ate a honey ring and this Delwala’s friend (legal-husband) beat the child badly for this.
When we were living in the same house, the abusive husband continued to beat the deceased daughter by saying that she had thrown a gemstone hidden by the abusive husband.
One day, a news came that the police were to raid the place for Kasippu. At that time, the paramour told me to take the girl to the forest. I took the girl and went to Delwala forest. Because the child was beaten for several days, she had fever. Meanwhile, I bathed the child. While inside the forest, the child’s head fell down on my lap. Didn’t not talk after that. But I stayed in the jungle for hours. Later, the paramour and his pregnant came to the forest.
Later, the illegitimate husband came and carried the girl in a white manure sack and placed her in an abandoned gem mine and placed two granite stones on top of it. Both the legal wife of the adulterous husband and the pregnant wife of the adulterous woman were watching from home to see if anyone would enter the place where the girl was buried. Only the four of us knew about this. Later I came to Malsiripura with my elder daughter and small child. The two children were told that their uncle had taken their sister to Kelaniya. Later, the child’s school teacher asked about her several times. After that, I went to the Malsiripura police and filed a complaint so that there is no suspicion…’
However, the dead body of the girl was taken to Ratnapura District Hospital and DNA was tested. Steps were taken to conduct an investigation. The reason was to find out whether the girl was buried while was unconscious
By now, the police suspect that the legal husband and the legal wife have fled the area. The mother of the dead girl and the pregnant woman have been arrested and further investigations are being conducted. It has been revealed that the legal husband of the girl’s mother is a deserter from the army, and that a number of serious criminal charges against him are pending in various courts.
It is a fact that anyone can understand that the cause of all these incidents is the excessive passion of people. Also, the economic crisis of the country has contributed towards an increase in the mental distress of the people. People who do not know the value of life are being born day by day. Today’s society has reached the point where mothers are cruel enough to bury their child alive. The villagers had set fire and destroyed two houses belonging to the estranged husband and wife, who were confirmed to be involved in the girl’s murder.
Poor little children do not know the purity of the hearts of people who are full of greed and desire. Those hearts are very beautiful like flowers. We have lost another beautiful little girl who used to make our country bright and fragrant… Who grabbed this child’s life…?
Don’t cry my gem of a daughter… We pray that in the next birth you will be born from the womb of a good mother who loves you and live a happy life…’
‘ Mini pathule Gana adure
sewanali athara
Mawage senehasa sagawa giya
Sihinaya bodawa
Sathapenna Diyaniyani
Sanaseeme
Yali pinwantha mawkusaka
pilisidinnata
heta dawase’
Nilanthi Renuka
