Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Weligama Organiser Rehan Jayawickrama has accused the government of attempting to “cover up” the killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara by dismissing it as an underworld-related incident.
Jayawickrama alleged that the government’s narrative was a “convenient cover-up under the label of underworld activity,” adding that the late Chairman had formally warned police of threats to his life.
According to Jayawickrama, in August 2025, Wickramasekara had written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP)outlining an alleged assassination plot targeting him either outside court or at the Pradeshiya Sabha premises, and had requested police protection, which was never provided.
He further said that the claims now being circulated about Wickramasekara’s alleged criminal connections were “nothing new,” and had previously surfaced when the NPP government came under fire over accusations of politically motivated abductions and staged shootings.
“The late Chairman won his ward in Midigama with 67% of the vote. He wasn’t handpicked through a national list; he earned his mandate directly from the people,” Jayawickrama said, questioning how the same administration that allowed him to contest and hold office now describes him as a “known criminal.”
He also pointed out that many of the cases cited against Wickramasekara were filed during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration, allegedly under “corrupt and politically influenced police officials.”
Jayawickrama said repeated requests for police protection for Wickramasekara and other SJB members went unanswered.
“Dismissing the killing as an underworld issue is hypocrisy,” he said, adding that “everyone deserves their day in court.”
“The Chairman was murdered inside his official workplace — on the very chair he was elected to occupy,” Jayawickrama stressed.
