COLOMBO – Authorities in Sri Lanka have arrested former cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga over his role in a shooting that killed one and injured two others in Colombo on Sunday.
Ranatunga, who was the country’s Minister for the Development of Petroleum Resources in the cabinet of sacked PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, was later released on bail after he was produced before the Colombo magistrate on Monday afternoon.
One person was killed after Ranatunga’s bodyguard fired at a crowd as the minister tried to enter his office at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Two others were injured in the shooting.
In his defence, the 54-year-old said his security detail had discharged their weapons in order to protect him from a mob that was intent on killing him.
“They came to kill me – I state this responsibly – and you can check the CCTV footage,” Ranatunga said following the clash. “For the first time, I feared for my life. I thought of my children and my family.”
He was rushed from the scene by police commandos in a helmet and body armour.
His bodyguard has been arrested and an investigation is under way, police say.
Ranatunga first stood for office in 2001, and has held various cabinet portfolios since. He is a member of the United National Party, whose leader, Ranil Wickramasinghe, is in the midst of the ongoing political wrangle.
Rantunga was the captain of Sri Lanka’s 1996 cricket World Cup winning side.
