The fatal shooting of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairperson Lasantha Wickramasekara inside his own office by two unidentified gunmen is far more than just another underworld-style killing. It is a reminder that violence and institutional complacency continue to affect Sri Lanka’s governance structure.

Many feel the Government’s response to the killing was questionable. Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala stated in Parliament that the murder was the result of a conflict among criminals. He added that while the incident involved a public representative, it posed no threat to overall public safety. The Police were quick to point out that Wickramasekara had six court cases pending against him and that he had been serving a suspended sentence. Such remarks however miss the essence of this matter. Regardless of Wickramasekara’s background or criminal record, he was an elected representative, a figure chosen by the people to serve them. Dismissing his murder as a “clash among criminals” not only downplays the seriousness of the incident, but also sends a troubling message that certain lives are less worthy of concern because of their past. This mindset is deeply dangerous for any democracy. The fact that the Government and the law enforcement agencies use suspects’ alleged links to crime to cover up their professional and operational failures, is telling of their resolve to put a crooked system right. 

The fact that Wickramasekara had sought Police protection before his death is more troubling. According to media reports, in August, he had written to the Police requesting personal security. In his letter, he had claimed that he had received death threats from various parties including major underworld gangs. He had said that he had been warned of an assassination plot targeting him either during court appearances or while leaving the council premises. In addition, he had mentioned that he had been threatened on social media. Yet, despite the specificity and seriousness of his concerns, Police officials had concluded that there was no immediate threat to his life. That decision was proven questionable and fatal. 

A public representative being gunned down in his office is not merely a local crime. It is an institutional failure. The fact that it occurred within a local government office, a space meant to serve citizens, makes it more alarming. Minister Wijepala’s assurance that a formal investigation will be conducted is welcome, but the Government’s initial framing of the murder raises serious doubts about its willingness to look beyond what is convenient. When the Government itself is attempting to project an image of a ‘clean Sri Lanka’, free from corruption and organised crime, it cannot downplay politically significant killings as gang disputes. Whether the victim is a law-abiding citizen or a controversial figure, murder is a crime, and every such crime is a threat to public safety. If a sitting PS chairperson can be killed inside his workplace, what message does that send to others in public service, especially at the local level, who often lack adequate protection?

The Commissioner General of Prisons Jagath Weerasinghe had recently stated that large-scale drug traffickers should be sentenced to death, arguing they are destroying the nation. While his stance reflects public frustration with rising crime, justice must always remain within the limits of law. Extrajudicial killings are not substitutes for due process. When the Government turns a blind eye to criminals killing one another, or appears to be doing so, it effectively endorses lawlessness. When a corrections officer alludes to enacting the death sentence which has been stayed for decades, that too is a serious reflection of the culture within the corrections system and the wider population as well.

In this context, the murder of Wickramasekara should serve as a wake-up call. Authorities must investigate not only who killed him, but also why his pleas for protection went unheeded. A broader inquiry into the safety of local government representatives is also necessary. Pradeshiya Sabhas and other local government institutions are the first point of contact between citizens and the State. Ensuring their safety is essential for the functioning of democracy. The Government must go beyond convenient labels like ‘gang rivalry’ and address the deeper institutional failures that enable such crimes. Every murder, regardless of the victim’s past, is a threat to the rule of law. The Police and the Public Security Ministry should be ashamed of their spin on this murder.