Devi Balika schoolgirl who was prey to Kottawa train ... not a suicide but a murder! -- father suspects

The incident of an 18 year old schoolgirl who was reported as having committed suicide by keeping her neck to an oncoming train at Kottawa at about 8.30 in the night day-before-yesterday (14) according to the deceased's father is not a case of suicide as informed by him to the police after which the police have commenced a special investigation. It was Savindi Pabasara Jayasekera studying in the Bio Science stream in the

Opinion was expressed that after embracing death by keeping her neck on the railway track at the railway line close to the spot where a hilly section was cut between Kottawa Old Railway Station and the new railway station is being constructed was akin to the incident where previously the Peradeniya campus graduate too died with this last suicide following suit. After this incident her travelling bag was found hanging from her shoulder and her mobile phone was in her pocket.

Kapila Jayasekera the father of the deceased schoolgirl had to say this in relation to the incident: : "It's my eldest daughter who has died. My daughter died not because of having jumped in front of a train. This is a crime committed by someone who has preplanned it. I suspect that this is an instance where she has been made unconscious or duped and after bringing her here has made her keep her neck to the train to give the impression that she committed suicide. He bag containing books was around her shoulders and the cell phone was in her pocket. Someone who wants to jump in front of a train won't do so with the bag hanging on the shoulders and she never keeps the cell phone in her pocket either other than in her bag.

Another point ... there was no mud on the shoes that my daughter was wearing. It's clear from that, that someone has carried her and had kept her neck on the railway track and thus committed this crime. On the day she died she had spoken to her mother and younger brother on two occasions between 7 and 7.30 in the evening. She had said that she was on her way and was coming there now. When I called after 7.30 in the evening the phone was dead. In the same way she had exchanged SMS messages within that time period with a friend of hers".

The train driver has mentioned that he had seen the deceased lying with her neck placed on the railway track when the Kelani Valley train was travelling in Kottawa area and was heading from Colombo towards Avissawella but that he did not have sufficient time at his disposal to bring the train to a halt. The deceased schoolgirl had been studying in the Bio Science stream at the Advanced Level at Colombo Devi Balika Vidyalaya and had been living down Kulatunga Road, Pannipitiya, Kottawa and on the day of this tragedy she had attended an extra class and was returning home. She is the eldest daughter in the family and she is supposed to have a younger brother. Her parents say that she had been clever enough to secure nine 'A's at the GCE Ordinary Level Examination last year and her only motive had been to pass her A/Ls too with flying colours.

The parents have said that they are not aware of any reasons for her to take her life as such and the girl's father says that this is not a case of suicide but an act of crime done by somebody. In view of his statement the police say that instructions were given to conduct a postmortem and to forward its results to the magistrate.