The untimely death of Narangas Angegedara Sajitha Sahas Gunarathna (14), a Grade nine student of Kurunegala Maliyadewa Model College brought much pain and sorrow to the hearts of the people of the Kurunegala District and the whole country.
On that fateful day, September 5, this student had asked for permission from his mother and grandmother to stay at home without going to school since it was raining heavily. The torrential rain inundated all roads and culverts in the Kurunegala urban area.
Although many parents kept their children away from school on that day due to heavy rain, the mother and the grandmother of the boy encouraged him to attend the school as the term test was approaching. These elders were really worried over the bright future of the boy and hence, they unwillingly persuaded the boy to attend the school despite the wet weather.
The father of the boy, V.A.G.Gunarathna, giving evidence at the inquest said that his son was bright, intelligent and studious. Not only that, the boy was very obedient and kind-hearted too towards all family members and the neighbours at all times. On September 5, the boy’s grandmother proceeded to accompany him back from school around 1.35 p.m. in spite of the heavy rain.
At that time, a school van packed with students had travelled along that narrow road passing the boy who was walking home on that road at that time. To avoid any collision with the van, the boy jumped to the edge of the road due to overflowing of water. It was the entrance of a culvert and the boy unknowingly fell into the culvert and he was dragged inside by the gushing water.
After hearing the cries of the boy’s grandmother, the neighbours and Police officers of the Kurunegala Police Station with soldiers from the Wehera Army Camp rushed to the scene and all of them made a tireless effort to search for the boy for two hours. Ultimately, they were successful in finding the unconscious boy who was later rushed to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital for immediate medical treatment.
Even though the doctors and nurses of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital made a valiant effort to save the life of the boy, all their attempts were in vain. Much water had entered into his lungs and stomach and that led to his tragic death.
Police Sergeant Ananda Rathnayake of the Kurunegala Police led evidence at the inquest. Dr. N.A.C.P. Chaminda, JMO of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital conducted the postmortem examination and ruled that death was due to drowning.
Kurunegala City Inquirer into Sudden Deaths Dharmakeerthi Amarasinghe returned a verdict of sudden death due to drowning. He criticised the irresponsible and careless ways and means of the local authorities in maintaining roads in the urban area and that type of negligence was actually the reason that led to this tragic death. He instructed the concerned authorities to take immediate steps to restore the dilapidated roads and culverts to avoid such possible tragedies in the future.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has summoned several authorities concerned on Monday (12) to the headquarters of the Commission to record their statements over this tragic and unfortunate death of this schoolboy. Consequently, a special investigation is now in process by the HRCSL to ascertain the facts and reasons on this specific issue.
A special team of investigators of the HRCSL visited the scene of the tragic event on September 7 on a fact-finding mission.
Residents, school teachers, school principals, parents, members of the clergy and social workers of the Kurunegala urban area said that the authorities of the local bodies of the Kurunegala town area have to be on the alert of such possible disasters even in the future and meaningful measures have to be applied early to avoid such tragedies without putting parents and people into unwanted grievances and hardships.
Young buds of our nation have to be protected at the expense of everything by the Government authorities and parents too have to be responsible and far-sighted enough when they take decisions with regard to their beloved children at all times. It is because there would not be a second chance for them to rectify their blunders.