Death row inmate in Amarakeerthi Athukorala case dies after fall at Welikada Prison

A detainee who had been sentenced to death in connection with the killing of former Polonnaruwa District Member of Parliament Amarakeerthi Athukorala has died after falling from a building within the Welikada Prison.

Prison sources stated that the inmate sustained critical injuries following the fall and was immediately admitted to hospital. However, he was pronounced dead after admission.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, while the circumstances surrounding the fall remain unclear.

Twelve individuals, who were found guilty over the murder of former MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his security officer in 2022, were sentenced to death on February 11, 2026.

The sentence was pronounced by the Gampaha High Court Trial-at-Bar after a lengthy hearing.

Polonnaruwa District Parliamentarian Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his security officer, a Police Constable, were reported dead amidst the unrest in the Nittambuwa area during the nationwide incidents of violence on May 09, 2022.

Initially, a shooting incident was reported in the Nittambuwa area that evening, following which a total of six injured people were rushed to the Wathupitiwala Base Hospital.

Hospital sources later confirmed that three of them had sustained gunshot wounds, whereas a 27-year-old who was in critical condition had later succumbed to injuries.