“will you cry in the event I die?”

18 March 2014 06:30 pm

Sister of borella oic who died during a protest in Hanwella Recalls the final words of her  beloved brother

By Lal S Kumara and Ajithlal Shantha Udaya
The untimely death of the OIC of Borella police Prasad Siriwardene had brought much shock and grief to his closest family members.
One of his sisters  Nirosha Siriwardene was in tears when she described to the media the affection and love  her brother had for her. In a pitiful coincidence the deceased Prasad had embraced her in the morning before he had set on his fateful mission on that day and had inquired from his sister “will you cry in the event I die”

This heart moving incident was related to the media personnel when they visited the house of Nirosha at Kelaniya Gonawala. Prasad (45) was the father of two children. His grief stricken sister said further that her brother had been at their house from last week with the children. On the day of the incident she remembers serving him tea in the morning. Just before he left for work that morning he had embraced her and asked whether she will cry if he dies. She felt sorry at these words, but however she had pacified him expressing her love to the brother. She also mentioned that her brother had been a victim of mud slinging by certain media and lamented that  media personnel who spread such canard are spared by law.

She vouched that her brother was always honest and sincere, and law abiding from childhood, and never shirked in pointing out the wrong no matter who did it. He had loved the poor and had been very benevolent.

 “We lived a very cheerful and a happy family life, and how and why a fate of this magnitude struck us?” was her question to which no one could give a reply.

The police officers and a rescue team had hastened to take the injured OIC Prasad Siriwardene to the Avissawella base hospital  soon after a tree cut by the protesting mob fell on him severely injuring his back and stomach areas. At the time of admission to the hospital he had been profusely bleeding and despite several operations being lined up to be performed to save his life, he succumbed to the severe injuries on Sunday. Stated Dr A H Jayathileke the director of the Avissawella  base hospital. He also stated further that several doctors and the hospital staff made an exhaustive attempt to save the life of this police officer.





Six other policemen who were also injured in the melee had been warded at the hospital. Sources revealed that the deceased police officer had first served in the VIP security, and thereafter had served, at Kelaniya, Peliyagoda, Ratnapura, Vavuniya and Modera and finally at Borella police station at the time of his untimely death.