COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — An unidentified gunman fatally shot an opposition Sri Lankan politician at his office on Wednesday, making him the first politician killed in a spate of shootings that have gripped the island nation in recent months.
Lasantha Wickramasekara, the head of the council of the coastal town of Weligama, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of the capital, Colombo, was attending to his official work when the gunman entered the office building and opened fire using a pistol, police said in a statement.
Police said that the assailant fled the scene after the shooting and that Wickramasekara succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to a hospital.
Police didn't reveal a motive for the shooting and said that an investigation is underway to identify the suspect.
But Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said that the killing is a result of gang rivalry, alleging that Wickramasekara is also linked to gang activities and narcotic drugs.
Making a statement in parliament on Wednesday, Wijepala said that there are six ongoing court cases against Wickramasekara and that he has previously served jail terms. Wijepala didn’t specify for what he was imprisoned or what the court cases are.
However, opposition lawmakers demanded an impartial inquiry into the killing.
Opposition lawmaker Ranjith Madduma Bandara blamed the government for failing to provide security to Wickramasekara and said therefore that “the government must take the responsibility for this killing. This is a political killing.”
The 38-year-old Wickramasekara was elected to the council from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party, which won a crucial contest over control of the council with the ruling party.
A wave of crimes, especially shootings, has spiked in recent months in many parts of Sri Lanka, mainly because of gang rivalries over the distribution of drugs.
According to official figures, 100 shootings have occurred in Sri Lanka so far this year, leaving 51 people dead and another 56 wounded. Wickramasekara is considered the first politician to be killed in this new surge of violence.
The government has pledged to strictly implement law and order and to crack down on gangs. Police have so far arrested dozens of suspected gang leaders and notorious criminals.
Some of the alleged gang leaders have been hiding in countries like United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India and Nepal. Sri Lankan police, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, in those countries have arrested more than a dozen suspected ringleaders and brought them back to Sri Lanka in recent months.