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| Sunday, 13 June 2004 |
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Our universities breeding ground for hooligans? Crime Sunday by Jayampathy Jayasinghe Have our universities become a breeding ground for hooligans judging by the number of student riots, which had led to several murders during the past few years within and outside university premises.? The recent killing of Sampath Wimalatissa Bandara (25) a third-year student of Sri Jayawardenapura university, allegedly by a fellow student by stabbing him several times on the chest inside the university premises, has sent shock waves throughout the country. HQI, Mirihana Police, Chief Inspector Quintas Raymond, said the main suspect who had allegedly stabbed Sampath Bandara was arrested from a hideout in Homagama last week. Three others also involved in the murder were arrested at Gangodawila, Nugegoda by a team of police officers from the Mirihana police. The four suspects were later produced before the Gangodawila Magistrate and remanded till the completion of investigations. Meanwhile, an identification parade has been fixed for July 15. However the knife used in the killing is yet to be recovered. The incident took place near a statue at the entrance to the Sri Jayawardenapura University around 4.15 p.m. on Saturday June 5 while Sampath Bandara was leaving the premises with some of his friends. Four students of a rival faction had accosted him and this led to a bitter argument. At this juncture, the main suspect had allegedly stabbed Bandara on his chest with a knife. The student who accompanied Bandara too was stabbed when he moved into intervene. He too sustained serious injuries and was hospitalised. After the stabbing incident, the four men had fled the scene, police said. Meanwhile, Sampath Bandara was rushed to the Colombo South Hospital at Kalubowila in a tri-shaw taxi by some of his friends. The doctors did their best to save Sampath's life but he succumbed to his injuries after undergoing an operation. Bandara was a third-year student at the Faculty of Commerce at the Sri Jayawardenapura University. He was a native of Wariyapola in the Kurunegala district. This was the second occasion where a student was killed in the same university within a short time. It has once again raised the spectre of violence at the universities. Earlier, Ovitigala Vithanage Samantha, also a third-year student of the Commerce Faculty, was killed after being attacked by fellow students in 2003. Fifteen years ago, Daya Ananada Piyasiri Pathirana, a student of the Colombo University, was killed on 18th November 1986 by fellow students of a rival faction. His body was later found abandoned in the Piliyandala area. University student Varaprakash was also killed in a ragging incident at Peradeniya in 1997. On 22nd April 1992, Pushpa Maduwanthi Gunewardena, an undergraduate of the Keleniya University, was stabbed to death by her fiance Nalawana Akuressege Ranjith Premalal on 20th April 1992. It has now become a frightening experience for parents to send their children to universities in the light of recent killings. It also raises the question of providing security for students at universities. What have the university authorities done so far in this regard? Merely opening a police post at universities with few policemen on duty does not provide adequate security for students, parents say. Meanwhile, in a separate incident two underworld members were shot dead with two others injured when a police party fired at a three-wheeler taxi at Battaramulla junction last Wednesday. The incident happened around 12.30 a.m. when four policemen on a routine motor patrol at Talangama Sri Jayawardenapura were alerted on their walkie talkies about four underworld characters fleeing in a three-wheeler taxi which they had robbed from its driver at pistol point at Kollupitiya Thereafter, the same gang had robbed two other persons of their belongings at Talangama. Police opened fire when one of them had attempted to hurl a bomb at them when they signalled the vehicle to stop. Several persons who had witnessed the three-wheeler taxi being robbed at Kollupitiya had promptly informed the police about the incident. Superintendent of Police (Crimes Nugegoda) A. Udayapala is conducting investigations under the direction of DIG Western Province , K.P. Pathirana. |
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