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Assassination of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike

SOLVED1959Tintagel, Rosmead Place, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Tissa with Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Russia with Alexei Kosygin Premier of the Soviet Union fro
Tissa with Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Russia with Alexei Kosygin Premier of the Soviet Union fro — Credit: Masako Kawasaki at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

On the morning of September 25, 1959, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, the fourth Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), was meeting members of the public on the front verandah of his private residence, Tintagel, on Rosmead Place in Colombo. A Buddhist priest, Talduwe Somarama Thero, who had been waiting to speak with him about improvements needed at the Government College of Ayurveda, approached the prime minister under the guise of discussing this request, then drew a .45 Webley Mark VI revolver from his robes and fired twice at point-blank range, hitting Bandaranaike in the chest and abdomen. As Bandaranaike attempted to retreat inside, Somarama Thero fired four more shots, striking Bandaranaike's hand and wounding a schoolteacher who was present. A police constable on duty at the gate shot and wounded Somarama Thero in the groin, and he was overpowered and arrested. Bandaranaike, though gravely wounded, ordered restraint toward his attacker before being taken to Colombo General Hospital.

Bandaranaike underwent five hours of surgery but died approximately twenty-two hours after being shot, on September 26, 1959. The Colombo coroner's inquest attributed death to shock and haemorrhage from multiple thoracic and abdominal injuries. His death triggered a state of emergency declared by the Governor General, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, and led to Wijeyananda Dahanayake being appointed acting, and later substantive, prime minister.

A police investigation, joined by detectives from Scotland Yard, led to multiple arrests, including Mapitigama Buddharakkitha Thero (chief priest of Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara), his associate Hemachandra Piyasena Jayawardena, businessman F.R. de Zoysa, and others. A magisterial inquiry lasting 124 days committed five persons to stand trial before the Supreme Court: Buddharakkitha Thero, Jayawardena, Pallihakarage Anura de Silva, Somarama Thero, and Weerasooriya Arachchige Newton Perera. The investigation concluded that the motive stemmed from Buddharakkitha's resentment over Bandaranaike's refusal to grant his company a rice shipping contract and a sugar manufacturing licence.

The Supreme Court trial concluded on May 12, 1961, with the jury acquitting Anura de Silva and Newton Perera, while finding Buddharakkitha Thero, Jayawardena, and Somarama Thero guilty and sentencing them to death. Following legislative changes and an appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeal upheld the convictions but commuted Buddharakkitha's and Jayawardena's death sentences to rigorous life imprisonment due to a legal loophole regarding conspiracy charges; Somarama Thero's death sentence stood. Newton Perera was later acquitted of murder by the Privy Council. Somarama Thero was hanged at Welikada Prison on July 6, 1962. Buddharakkitha Thero died in prison in 1967; Jayawardena was released in 1977. A subsequent Commission of Inquiry, appointed by Bandaranaike's widow and successor Sirima Bandaranaike, found adverse findings only against former Minister Vimala Wijewardene, who had been cleared of criminal charges but whose political career ended amid the stigma of the case.

Key facts

Victims
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Date
1959
Location
Tintagel, Rosmead Place, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1956

    Bandaranaike wins the 1956 general election in a landslide, becoming Prime Minister of Ceylon.

  2. 1959-09-25

    Talduwe Somarama Thero shoots Bandaranaike at Tintagel, his private residence in Colombo.

  3. 1959-09-26

    Bandaranaike dies at Merchant's Ward, Colombo General Hospital, approximately 22 hours after being shot; Wijeyananda Dahanayake appointed acting prime minister.

  4. 1959-10-02

    Gazette extraordinary proclamation re-introduces the death penalty, which had been suspended since 1958.

  5. 1959-11-21

    Vimala Wijewardene is arrested in connection with the assassination investigation.

  6. 1959-11-23

    Finance Minister Stanley de Zoysa resigns following the arrest of his brother F.R. de Zoysa.

  7. 1959-11-26

    Seven persons are charged in the Chief Magistrate's Court of Colombo with conspiring to murder Bandaranaike.

  8. 1959-12-07

    The Capital Punishment (Repeal) Act becomes law, applied with retrospective effect.

  9. 1961-02-22

    Supreme Court trial of the five accused begins in Colombo.

  10. 1961-05-12

    Trial concludes; jury acquits Anura de Silva and Newton Perera, and convicts Buddharakkitha Thero, Jayawardena, and Somarama Thero, all sentenced to death.

  11. 1962-01-18

    Capital Punishment (Special Provisions) Bill is presented to Parliament to restore death sentences for conspiracy convictions.

  12. 1962-01-25

    The government withdraws the Capital Punishment (Special Provisions) Bill amid public opposition.

  13. 1962-05

    The Privy Council refuses the convicted persons' appeals; Newton Perera is acquitted of murder by the Privy Council.

  14. 1962-07-06

    Talduwe Somarama Thero is hanged at Welikada Prison.

  15. 1963

    Sirima Bandaranaike appoints a Commission of Inquiry into the political aspects of the assassination.

  16. 1964

    Commission of Inquiry releases its findings as Sessional Paper III of 1964.

  17. 1966-05-07

    The Governor General commutes the life sentences of Buddharakkitha Thero and Jayawardena to 20 years.

  18. 1967

    Buddharakkitha Thero dies in prison of a heart ailment.

  19. 1977-08-04

    Hemachandra Piyasena Jayawardena is released after serving his sentence.

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People

  • Amerasinghe Arachchige Carolis Amerasinghe

    CHARGED

    Charged with conspiracy to murder; became a crown witness during the magisterial inquiry and received a pardon.

  • Pallihakarage Anura de Silva

    ACQUITTED

    Charged with conspiracy to murder; unanimously acquitted by the jury at the Supreme Court trial.

  • S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike

    VICTIM

    Prime Minister of Ceylon, shot at his residence Tintagel on September 25, 1959, and died the following day.

  • Talduwe Somarama Thero

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder; found guilty by unanimous jury verdict and sentenced to death; executed by hanging on July 6, 1962.

  • Mapitigama Buddharakkitha Thero

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of conspiracy to murder; sentenced to death, later commuted to rigorous life imprisonment then to 20 years; died in prison in 1967.

  • Hemachandra Piyasena Jayawardena

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of conspiracy to murder; sentenced to death, later commuted to rigorous life imprisonment then to 20 years; released in 1977.

  • Vimala Wijewardene

    ACQUITTED

    Minister of Local Government; arrested and charged in the magisterial inquiry on suspicion of conspiracy, later cleared of all charges, though her political career ended due to the stigma of the case.

  • Weerasooriya Arachchige Newton Perera

    ACQUITTED

    Charged with conspiracy to murder and accused of procuring the murder weapon; acquitted five to two by the jury, and later acquitted of murder by the Privy Council, though separately dismissed from the police following a police charge sheet.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Tissa with Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Russia with Alexei Kosygin Premier of the Soviet Union fro

    archival location

    Tissa with Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Russia with Alexei Kosygin Premier of the Soviet Union fro

    Credit: Masako Kawasaki at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Places

Tintagel, Rosmead Place, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

6.9077, 79.8636

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon, was shot at his private residence Tintagel in Colombo on September 25, 1959, by Buddhist priest Talduwe Somarama Thero and died the next day; a wider conspiracy trial led to convictions and one execution.
Where did the crime happen?
Tintagel, Rosmead Place, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Who was convicted?
Talduwe Somarama Thero (Convicted of murder; found guilty by unanimous jury verdict and sentenced to death; executed by hanging on July 6, 1962.), Mapitigama Buddharakkitha Thero (Convicted of conspiracy to murder; sentenced to death, later commuted to rigorous life imprisonment then to 20 years; died in prison in 1967.), and Hemachandra Piyasena Jayawardena (Convicted of conspiracy to murder; sentenced to death, later commuted to rigorous life imprisonment then to 20 years; released in 1977.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Sri Lanka

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICAssassination of S. W. R. D. BandaranaikeWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — dailymirror.lkdailymirror.lk · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — sundaytimes.lksundaytimes.lk · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026