I saw Adeline put under the car and die
An eyewitness account of Adeline's murder
A film called Dada Ima is being screened these days. It was created as an extension of the story of the murder of Adeline Vitharana, who was killed in 1959. This article is prepared based on the information I discovered about the murder of Adeline Vitharana some time ago
Nicholas Fernando and Joseph Fernando came from Kochchikade area of Negombo to Thimbirivewa village on Anuradhapura Puttalam road with the aim of making a living by trading. These two people who started a small grocery store and a tea shop overlooking the intersection that turns to the Wilpattu sanctuary were people who won the hearts of everyone in the village. The villagers called these two older brothers Nick Aiya and Josiah. Apart from his trading business, he also ran a goat shed behind the shop to earn extra income by selling milk.
Even though carpet roads have been built now, 62 years ago i.e. in 1959, the Puttalam Anuradhapura road was a very narrow road and the side roads were gravel roads. Only dense forest could be seen on both sides of the road, which was an isolated area with not many people. Vehicles were not as common as today and the buses that ran to distant areas along this route used to stop at the tea shop of the two brothers, eat a bun and drink some tea and relax for a while. Most days the tea shop closes around midnight.
P. was a young man who made a living from farming. D. Herat Banda comes to this tea shop in the evening to avoid anxiety and to help Nik Aya and Josiah's shop if there is any work. Most of the days, he used to stay in the shop until midnight and go to his house when the two brothers were about to close the shop.
The date is 14 March 1959. The stillness in the midst of the severe gap that could be cut to pieces was broken by the shrill noise and the 'Hm Hm' of owls from the surrounding forest. On that day, as usual, Herat Banda was engaged in conversation in the shop. Suddenly the silence of the environment was broken by the screeching of a car. At the same time, a young woman ran into the shop crying, 'Please save me'. Herath Banda, who looked out of the shop at the sound of lamentations, could see a car parked on the road. While the people in the shop were watching stoned, the girl put her hands on the cashier table and begged the three people in the shop to 'save me please'. She was very scared. But without allowing anyone to do anything, she was chased by a person who took a stick. The girl was helpless. The chaser's club fell on the girl's head. She fell in wonder.
The three people in the shop were shocked by this incident, which they had never seen before. Both of them immediately ran and hid in the goat shed behind the shop while Herat Banda hid under the wooden floor of the grocery shop. Herat Banda, who came out from under the shop, slowly turned his head and saw what was happening outside. She took the person who picked up the puzzled girl from there and threw the lights of the car on the highway
He saw the light.
Herat Banda saw the car that suddenly started running over the body of the girl who had fallen on the road. The vehicle which was turned again ran over the body once more and pulled away. The scene he saw made him shiver. He suddenly got up from the ground. Everyone in the store was scared to come out. They quickly closed the shutters and huddled in the distance.
Wilpattu Junction is a junction on the Puttalam-Anuradhapura road about 45 km from Puttalam. Although the people call it Wilpattu junction because it turns into the Wilpattu sanctuary, the real name of the area is Thimbirivewa. The nearest town to this village is Notchiyagam. At present, there are several houses built near the Wilpattu junction, but the environment is deserted. Its isolation, with no retail outlets, is broken by the few safari vehicles and three-wheelers parked to take visitors to the Wilpattu sanctuary.
A white tombstone can be seen near that stop. Although no one has been buried there, the tombstone reads "Wilpattu Memorial - Adeline Witharana - March 14, 1959". It stands alone in that place until today, hiding the memory of a tragedy that happened in this country 62 years ago. Back then, Nick's brother and Josiah's shop was near the place where this memorial was erected. The tomb called Wilpattu Memorial was built to remember the young woman who was murdered by Nicholas Fernando, Joseph Fernando and Herat Banda. The death of Adeline, marking an event in which she brought tears to the eyes of the entire nation.
Only one of the three people in the tea shop who last saw Adeline Vitharana alive that day remains today. He is P. D. Herat gang. 91 years old. He, who was 32 years old at the time, has a clear memory of the incident. He described the incident to us as follows.
At that time, Nick's brother and Josai's tea room was here. It was there that buses going to outlying areas stopped to drink tea. This is so lonely. People drink tea, rest for a while under the big trees and get back on the bus. Since there is nothing to do in the evening, we often talk late into the night. When there are more people, I also go and help Nick and Josai to trade. One night when we were talking in the voice
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