Homeguard runs amok

Jayamapathy JAYASINGHE

Kebethigollewa Police are investigating the macabre shooting incident where an enraged home guard shot dead his mother-in-law and his brother-in-law following a heated altercation last week. The dead persons have been identified as R. Indrani (54) and L. Danushka (15), a student residing at D5 at Wahalkade.

Police said they are probing how the suspect homeguard Ajith Kumara had married an underaged girl (17) a few years back. “The homeguard if found guilty would be dealt with for killing two persons and also for marrying a minor, an offence punishable under the penal code,” Kebethigollewa police told the Sunday Observer.

The suspect homeguard was attached to the Padaviya Civil Security Department. The Police Media Spokesman, SSP Ranjith Gunesekera said following the killing of two persons the homeguard had shot his young wife J. Sanjevani Weeratne (17) and thereafter shot himself. Both were admitted to the Anuradhapura and the Padaviya hospitals with grievous injuries. The homeguard who was in a serious condition was later transferred to the National Hospital Colombo. According to Kebethigollewa police the incident took place at the wife’s residence at Wahalkade in the Kebethigollewa last Thursday around 6.30 pm. The wife returned to her mother’s home following a quarrel she had with her husband.

Ajith Kumara on learning that his wife Sanjivani had returned to her mother’s home was annoyed. He arrived on his motor cycle with a T-56 automatic rifle at his wife’s home. Following a heated argument, with the mother-in-law he shot her and her young son at point blank range emptying almost two magazines. “The Home Guard’s wife had made several complaints at the Padaviya police station against her husband on earlier occasions. The Home Guard was warned by the Padaviya police station,” police said. This was the second occasion where armed security personnel had run amok. On March 25 last month at the Women’s Police quarters at Narahenpita, a police Constable armed with a T-56 automatic rifle fired randomly at every thing that he came across. The gunman who threatened to kill several policewomen was finally shot dead by the Police Special Task Force, ending a calamity.