Former IGP C.D. Wickramaratne laid to rest with full Police honours
COLOMBO – Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne was laid to rest with full police honours at the Borella General Cemetery on Monday (20), as family members, senior police officers, politicians and other dignitaries paid their final respects.
Following Buddhist religious observances at a private funeral parlour in Borella, Wickramaratne’s remains were accorded a formal police guard of honour before being taken in a ceremonial procession to the crematorium, where he was cremated.
Wickramaratne, 62, was found with gunshot injuries at his residence on Parakrama Mawatha in Thalawathugoda on July 17. He was admitted to the Colombo East Base Hospital in Mulleriyawa, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Police suspect he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound using the firearm issued to his personal security officer. Investigations are being conducted by two special teams from the Western Province (South) Crimes Division and Malabe Police.
Police, quoting Wickramaratne’s wife, stated that he had been under considerable mental strain in recent months due to an ongoing court case involving their son.
Wickramaratne served as the 35th Inspector General of Police and was regarded as the first officer in Sri Lanka Police history to rise from the Criminal Investigation Department to become the head of the police service.
Born on March 26, 1963, he was educated at Ananda College, Colombo, and graduated from the University of Colombo before joining the Sri Lanka Police as an Assistant Superintendent of Police on June 16, 1986.
He was appointed Inspector General of Police in November 2020 by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Although scheduled to retire in 2023, his tenure was extended four times before he retired on Nov. 27, 2023.
His body was released to the family following the post-mortem examination and placed at a private funeral parlour in Borella, where members of the public and numerous dignitaries paid their respects over the weekend.
Among those who attended were former Presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and several current and former ministers and parliamentarians. Senior police officers, including former Police Media Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manatunga, also attended the funeral to honour Wickramaratne’s service to the police force.
Officials from the Indian High Commission and other distinguished guests were also present to pay their final respects.
-ENCL
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