Assassination of Vijaya Kumaratunga
Vijaya Kumaratunga, Sri Lankan politician and founder of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, was assassinated by an assassin of the militant organization Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya (DJV) on February 16, 1988, while attempting to leave his home in Polhengoda in Colombo. Shot in the head as he reached the gate to his residence, Kumaratunga died on the same day at 12:22 pm, before being taken to the hospital.
| Assassination of Vijaya Kumaratunga | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 1987-1989 JVP insurgency | |
blood spilt (left corner) over the place following the shooting | |
| Location | Polhengoda, Colombo |
| Date | February 16, 1988 12:20 p.m. (Sri Lanka Time) |
| Target |
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Attack type |
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| Weapons | |
| Deaths | Vijaya Kumaratunga (died February 16, 1988, at 12:22 p.m. from his injuries) |
| Injured | Sarath Upali (later died on April 25, 1988 at the Colombo General Hospital) |
| Perpetrators | Lionel Ranasinghe alias Gamini Tarzan Weerasinghe alias Herath |
| Motive | Revenge for criticizing the Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya |
Kumaratunga was the son-in-law of former prime ministers S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, as well as the husband of future president Chandrika Kumaratunga, and with his funeral the Sri Lankan government declared an extended period of national mourning.
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