Duenuge Edward Henry Pedris (August 1888 – July 1915) a Ceylonese militia officer and a prominent socialite, was executed for treason on this day in 1915 by the 17th Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army under martial law during the 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots. Convicted in a three day Field General Court Martial under the terms of the Army Act, bypassing the local legal system, his execution was viewed as unjust by the local population and a warning to local leaders. It hastened the movement toward independence, providing motivation and a martyr for those who pioneered the movement.
-Wikipedia