A deadly clash of politics and underworld violence exposes Sri Lanka’s fragile power struggles and raises questions about accountability under the new administration.
The narrative of Sri Lanka’s political landscape is often written in blood, a chilling reality where political power and underworld politics intersect with deadly consequences. The story of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in power is already being tested by an old pattern of political violence and disputed accountability, echoing a tragic incident from 2012 that established a precedent for how these clashes are framed and often obfuscated by the state. This analysis explores these two critical events, exposing the uncomfortable symmetry between the former Mahinda Rajapaksa regime’s handling of the Katuwana attack and the current JVP administration’s response to the recent killing in Weligama.
The Katuwana attack of 15 July 2012 remains a stark reminder of the brute force used against the political opposition. Ten gunmen, believed to be part of the criminal underworld network, stormed a political meeting held at a JVP Provincial Council member’s garden. The meeting was patronised by Nalinda Jayatissa, who narrowly escaped the assault. Two innocent individuals, including a woman, were killed in the indiscriminate shooting.
Suspicion immediately fell upon Julampitiye Amare, a notorious underworld figure operating from Tangalle, Weeraketiya, and a known loyalist of the then-ruling Rajapaksa family. Member of Parliament Anura Kumara Dissanayake publicly and vociferously accused Amare, alleging that the killings were carried out by government-affiliated thugs. However, the government quickly moved to control the narrative. Laxman Hulugalle, then Director General of the Mahinda administration’s National Security Centre, attempted to deflect responsibility by claiming the incident was not a political attack but a consequence of internal conflict within the JVP’s breakaway faction, the Frontline Socialist Party.
The police provided a third, darker narrative rooted in long-standing underworld feuds. A statement published later in the Sunday Times detailed how the violence was reportedly the result of decades-old animosity between a JVP-linked underworld gang and Julampitiye Amare’s family. During the brutal 1988–89 insurgency, members of the JVP’s underworld reportedly killed two of Amare’s brothers, sparking deep and visceral animosity. Amare is believed to have waited for the Rajapaksas to rise to power to establish himself within the criminal hierarchy and exact revenge on the JVP. The tension escalated in 2011 when Amare murdered the brother of a JVP underworld figure named Madusanka, who was incarcerated at the time. Further fuel was added to the fire when the JVP’s official newspaper, Lanka, published an exposé on Amare’s criminal operations on 13 July 2012. Upon discovering that a Katuwana resident had provided the information, Amare began targeting people in the area. Police accounts also suggested that a 2011 assassination attempt on Amare by Neluwe Priyantha was carried out under the direction of the imprisoned JVP-affiliated underworld figure, Madusankha.
Despite the initial confusion and governmental deflection, the tide eventually turned. Julampitiye Amare surrendered to the authorities, and following a request by the JVP to the subsequent Maithripala–Ranil administration, an impartial investigation was finally conducted. In 2019, Amare was sentenced to death for orchestrating the deadly Katuwana attack, proving that justice, though delayed, was possible.
Today, the JVP forms the governing body, having ascended to power on the promise of clean governance and accountability. Yet, the first reported high-profile killing under its administration presents a chilling and troubling parallel to the events of 2012.
The victim was Lasantha Wickramasekara, Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha. His appointment followed a bitter political battle with the JVP–Malima coalition. Contesting under the SJB banner, Wickramasekara successfully prevented the JVP from securing a majority in the council, effectively destabilising what was seen as a powerful political force within the new administration. The struggle for control of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha was intensely violent, marked by two missing JVP MPs, whom the JVP accused the SJB of abducting. While the MPs were later found, a subsequent shooting was reported at the residence of a JVP MP, with suspicion pointing toward Wickramasekara. No formal inquiry was conducted into this preceding incident.
Wickramasekara’s political assassination was the culmination of this escalating tension. Within 24 hours of the killing, the Minister in charge of the police made a strikingly familiar statement. He claimed the victim had been involved in underworld activities and that his death was the result of an internal dispute. This narrative mirrors, almost exactly, the response of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government in 2012. However, there is a crucial difference: the Rajapaksa administration, despite its rhetoric, produced Julampitiye Amare before the police within a month of the Katuwana incident. In the current scenario, a lack of thorough investigations into the Weligama events suggests a worrying lack of accountability.
The JVP government, like its predecessor, attributes the violence to underworld activity, but without exhaustive and transparent inquiries, this event risks being indelibly marked in history as the first political assassination under JVP rule. It stands as a dark chapter defined by unanswered questions and unaddressed justice, suggesting that in Sri Lankan underworld politics, the script of power, violence, and deflection remains tragically unchanged, regardless of who occupies the seat of power.
SOURCE :- SRI LANKA GUARDIAN
