Colombo: A politician from the opposition in Sri Lanka was assassinated after being shot dead in his office on Wednesday, according to police, the latest in a wave of killings and the first to target a political figure.
The incident occurred while Lasantha Wickramasekara, the 38-year-old council chairman of the coastal city of Weligama, was meeting with constituents.
An assailant entered his office and fired multiple shots with a revolver. Wickramasekara was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. However the shooting incident left him dead on the spot.
No one else was killed or injured in the attack. The gunman managed to flee the scene.
“An investigation is underway to track down the killer,” police said in a statement, adding that the motive for the assassination is yet to be known.
Wickramasekara was a member of the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party.
Leader of the opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament Sajith Premadasa raised the issue in the house. “Where is national security?” he questioned.
Sri Lanka has witnessed a surge in violent crimes throughout this year, often linked to drug gangs and organised crime.
Official statistics show at least 50 deaths resulting from more than 100 separate shooting incidents.
The most brazen killing was in February when a killer dressed as a lawyer shot dead a suspect inside a courthouse in Colombo.
