Charles Wijewardhana

Charles Wijewardhana (5 April 1948 – 4 August 2005) was a Sri Lankan police officer and rugby player. He was serving as the Superintendent of Police (SP), Jaffna when he was kidnapped and killed by a mob at Inuvil, Jaffna.

Career Educated at Vidyartha College, Wijewardhana started playing for the school rugby team in 1965. Following his schooling, he joined the Royal Ceylon Air Force in 1968 and captained the Air Force Sports Club in 1972. He then joined the Sri Lanka Police as a Sub-inspector on 6 August 1972 and captained the Police Sports Club in 1979 winning the Clifford Cup. He had played for the Kandy Sports Club, the CH & FC and the national team. He then served as a rugby referee, and as the official secretary of the Referees Society in 1989 and 1990.

Wijewardhana had served as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Kurunegala for five years before his promotion to the rank of Superintendent and a year later was posted to Jaffna.

He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police, prior to his funeral, on 7 August 2005 at the General Cemetery in Kurunegala, with full police honours. His wife and three children, were living in official quarters in Kurunegala at the time of his death. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police.

Aftermath The police arrested the main suspect in the murder, Weerapandian Gopi, a LTTE member. During the arrest, the police officers were attacked by LTTE cadres wounding two officers. Subsequently the Criminal Investigation Department sought permission from the Attorney General's Department to transfer the murder case to Colombo from Jaffna due to threats from the LTTE.