COLOMBO: (Oct 23) Sri Lanka’s main opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), on Thursday wore black attire in Parliament to protest what it called the government’s “insensitive and inadequate response” to the killing of one of its local leaders.
Lasantha Wickramasekera, the chairman of the Weligama local council in the southern Matara district, was shot dead in his office on Tuesday by an unidentified gunman, police said.
The SJB accused the government of failing to ensure the safety of elected representatives and demanded an immediate, transparent investigation into the murder.
Party members also observed a brief moment of silence in Wickramasekera’s memory, while some MPs carried placards calling for justice.
“This is not just an attack on an individual but an assault on democracy,” SJB leader Sajith Premadasa said during the protest, adding that the government’s silence “sends the wrong signal to those who believe they can act with impunity.”
The killing is the first politically motivated murder since the National People’s Power (NPP) government came to power a year ago. Police said investigations are underway to identify the assailants and their motive.