ALBAWABA - Local authorities reported that Sri Lankan Part Leader Saman Perera has been gunned down in a drive-by shooting.
Despite the motive behind the attack being unknown, police initial investigation revealed that that Saman Perera, chairman of the Our Power of People Party, appeared to be the main target of the attack.
Police said Perera's vehicle was targeted when it had stopped at a roadside restaurant when gunmen in a pickup truck opened fire and then sped off. They said they were aware of a feud between Perera and a local criminal boss, a connection that local media have also reported.
Last week, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles told reporters in Colombo that he was not convinced by the allegations and that the crackdown was in the country's best interests.
The attack comes as the police have been on a mission to fight crime in an anti-crime operation that resulted in the arrest of more than 44,000 criminals. According to police, operation "Yuktiya," the Sinhala name for justice, has resulted in a significant crime reduction.
Volker Turk, the UN's human rights chief, has criticized the police operation, accusing it of several violations such as arbitrary arrests, torture, strip searches, and warrantless searches.
