A 15-year-old student of a prominent boys’ school in Colombo sustained serious injuries after falling off the second floor of a building at the school premises yesterday.

According to the Police, the Grade 11 student has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital. 

The Cinnamon Gardens Police is conducting further investigations into the incident.

Media reports state the boy had fallen while attempting to enter a closed classroom via a window.

The classroom had been closed due to a majority of the students participating in a motorcade organised in connection with the school’s annual cricket “Big Match”. (Newswire)

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A student has died after collapsing during a practice run at an inter‑house sports meet of a school in the Buttala area.

The Police said that the deceased was a 15‑year‑old student studying in Grade 11 at the same school.

The student had been taking part in a marathon event, running towards Buttala along with a group of other children from near the Katugahakolaniya tank on the Buttala–Badalkumbura road, when he suddenly collapsed. 

Afterwards, the student was admitted to the Buttala Regional Hospital and later transferred to the Monaragala District General Hospital for further treatment, where he passed away, the Police said. (Newswire)

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The Rs. 10,000 allowance provided by the President’s Fund for schoolchildren affected by Cyclone Ditwah has now commenced, the President’s Office announced today.

All relevant financial allocations have been directed to the District Secretariats, and every student who received the Rs. 15,000 allowance from the government will also be entitled to this benefit.

Accordingly, as stated by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the presentation of the recent budget, each schoolchild affected by the disaster will receive a total financial assistance of Rs. 25,000. (Newswire)

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A 24-year-old Sri Lankan national in Bengaluru has fallen victim to an online sextortion racket involving an unidentified individual who first contacted him through Instagram.

According to a case filed by the police, the unknown person met the victim, a student, on Instagram and gradually developed an online friendship. The individual later contacted the victim on WhatsApp. 

The victim alleged that during the video calls, the accused secretly took his personal photos and private videos without his consent. The accused then began demanding money in exchange for deleting the content.

When the victim refused to pay, the individual allegedly threatened to circulate the videos to the complainant’s friends and family and upload them on social media platforms.

Fearing the consequences, the victim transferred Rs 36,000 to the accused. However, the accused continued to demand more money, threatening to publish the videos online if additional payments were not made.

The victim said the continuous threats have caused him severe mental distress and filed a police complaint. Police have registered a case and initiated further investigation. (NDTV)

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A teacher from a school in Moratuwa, who was arrested for sexually abusing a 14-year-old  student, has been remanded.

The Moratuwa Magistrate today (18) ordered that the teacher be remanded until December 1.

However, the school principal, who was arrested for allegedly concealing the incident, was released on two sureties of Rs. 100,000 each.

The teacher and the principal are aged 58 and 59, are residents of Baduraliya and Piliyandala.

According to the Police, several more complaints have also been filed against the teacher. (Newswire)

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Deputy Minister Madura Seneviratne says the Ministry of Higher Education has launched a probe into the death of a student from the University of Vavuniya recently. 

Speaking to Newswire, he said the ministry has launched a probe through the University Grants Commission, while the university has also launched an internal probe.

“As of now, the postmortem reveals that the cause of death is due to extensive vomiting as a result of alcohol. The exact cause of the alcohol consumption is uncertain. Investigations are underway to ascertain this,” he said. 

Deputy Minister Madura Seneviratne further said that if the death is linked to any form of ragging or violence, the matter will be referred to the ministry’s committee appointed to address such incidents, to conduct further investigations and initiate action. 

The probes come after it was reported that a 23-year-old student from Vavuniya University had died by suicide recently (31) due to alleged ragging by senior students. 

According to media reports, strong allegations have emerged that senior students had forcibly made new students consume alcohol. (Newswire)

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The Education Ministry has updated the ‘Suraksha’ student insurance scheme, offering enhanced medical and life benefits for school students under a renewed agreement with the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Ltd., signed on Thursday (09) under the patronage of Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa.

Under the revised scheme, the inpatient benefit has been increased to Rs. 300,000 and outpatient treatment to Rs. 20,000, while coverage for critical illnesses now begins at Rs. 1.5 million. Accident coverage now includes Rs. 200,000 for permanent disability and up to Rs. 100,000 for temporary disability.

Life insurance benefits for students from families earning below Rs. 240,000 annually (up from Rs. 180,000) have also been expanded. Eligible families under the “Aswesuma” program will receive Rs. 75,000 per deceased parent or guardian, with a maximum of Rs. 225,000 per family.

Students suffering from long-term illnesses such as epilepsy, nephrotic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatic heart disease are now eligible for outpatient benefits. Additional coverage includes Rs. 75,000 for scoliosis braces and Rs. 75,000 for hearing aids recommended by ENT specialists.

According to the Education Ministry, the new benefits apply to incidents occurring from September 1, 2025, onwards. (Newswire)

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A student of the University of Ruhuna has been arrested in connection with the unauthorized online access to a bank account and the misappropriation of Rs. 05 million.

The university student was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Thursday (17).

The suspect is a 25-year-old resident of Sinna Puthukkulam in Vavuniya.

Investigations were launched by the CID’s Cyber Crimes Division following a complaint, leading to the suspect’s arrest.

The arrested individual is scheduled to be presented before the court. (Newswire)

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The National Transport Commission has temporarily suspended the driver and conductor of a bus after a student fell off the footboard in Kurunegala.

The incident had been caught on the dashcam of the vehicle of the child’s father, who had dropped off the child at the bus stop moments ago. However, the child had not sustained any serious injuries in the incident. 

Issuing a statement on the incident, the Transport Ministry said the bus was used as a school transport service and had been authorised by the North Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority to operate from Metibokka to Sir John Kothalawala College in Kurunegala. 

The ministry further said inquiries conducted by NTC officials with the child’s father and the bus owner have revealed that the incident had occurred due to the negligence of the driver and conductor.

As such, based on the directive of the NTC, the North Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority has taken steps to temporarily suspend the driver and conductor from their duties. 

The Transport Ministry further said that a probe into the incident will be conducted today. 

The ministry also stated that on the orders of the Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake, measures have been taken to assign a new driver and conductor to the bus to ensure uninterrupted service. (Newswire)

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A distressing incident has been reported from Kurunegala where a schoolboy fell off the footboard of a private bus while it was in motion.

The shocking footage was recorded by the dashboard camera of a car driven by the child’s father, who had just dropped the boy off at the bus stop moments earlier. (Newswire)

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A 13-year-old school student is reported to have died by suicide in the Ambalangoda area today. 

The Police said the child, a grade 07 student, was found dead at his residence this morning. 

According to the Police, the parents of the child have claimed emotional distress to be the cause of his death. 

The Ambalangoda Police is conducting investigations into the incident. 

Several student deaths by suicide have been reported in Sri Lanka in the past few weeks, prompting investigations by the authorities. 

Among school students, a 16-year-old girl had died by suicide in Kotahena in April. At the time, her parents alleged that her death was linked to her being sexually abused by a male teacher at her former school in Bambalapitiya and also being humiliated at a private tuition institute in front of fellow students over the incident.

Among university students, the first incident was reported from the Sabaragamuwa University, where a second-year male student had died by suicide at his house, due to alleged ragging.

A recent incident to be reported was from the Wayamba National College of Education, where a second-year female student had died by suicide at the college dormitory. (Newswire)

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The Sri Lanka Police has launched a probe into the death of a student at the Wayamba National College of Education in Bingiriya recently.

The Police said the second-year female student had died by suicide inside her dormitory at the college on Friday evening (23 May). 

They further said that statements have been recorded from several persons, including lecturers and students, regarding the death.

The Police added that after presenting facts to the relevant court on Saturday, a magisterial inquiry was to be conducted. 

Meanwhile, it is reported that a group of students from the college had held a silent protest against the college authorities, stating that the teachers of the college should be held responsible for the student’s death.

They alleged that the mental distress caused by harassment from some of the lecturers at the college made it impossible for the student to cope, leading to the decision to end her life. 

The deceased student is a 24-year-old resident of Teldeniya, Kandy. (Newswire)

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A school principal from Polonnaruwa who had assaulted and caused injuries to the ear of a student sitting for the GCE Ordinary Level Examination this year has been placed under remand custody until 11 March 2025.

Hingurakgoda Acting Magistrate Nalaka Mihira Bandara issued the order, during which he also instructed the Medirigiriya Police to submit the Judicial Medical Officer’s report on the student.

The judge also ordered the Medirigiriya Police to submit a progress report on the investigations conducted into the incident. (Newswire)

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Three suspects have been arrested in connection to the assault of a teenager, based on a video of the incident which had been widely circulated on social media recently.

Based on the video footage, the Sri Lanka Police had launched an investigation, identifying that the incident had occurred in Kegalle. 

Investigations by the Kegalle Police had led to the arrest of three youths, aged 16 and 17 years.

According to the Police, the suspects include two teenagers who had carried out the assault and another who had recorded the incident. 

The teenager injured in the incident is reported to have been discharged after receiving treatment.

The Kegalle Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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A grade 08 student of an international school was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on Wednesday (Jan 15) after reportedly falling from the 05th floor of a building at the school.

According to the state newspaper Dinamina, the female student, a resident of Wattala, had not sustained any critical injuries as she had fallen on to the fibre roofing attached to a floor below.

The Wattala Police, conducting investigations into the incident, said the student has also not shown any visible injuries following the fall.

Stating that there was information that this student may have jumped from the fifth floor, the Watta Police said investigations are underway. (Newswire)

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The Police suspect an accidental fall may have resulted in the deaths of two 15-year-olds at a luxury apartment complex in Slave Island recently.

Investigations have found that the girl has an interest in taking pictures from high places, with the Police having found several such photos in her mobile phone. 

Accordingly, the police suspect that the boy and girl may have fallen from the 67th floor of the apartment complex while attempting to take such photographs.

Meanwhile, Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said preliminary investigations have not confirmed the use of narcotics by the two students.

He further said that CCTV footage also showed no conflict between the duo at the time of the incident. 

DIG Thalduwa added that it is yet to be ascertained if the incident was an accidental fall or suicide attempt. 

An open verdict has been issued in the deaths of the two 15-year-olds and their bodies have been handed over to their families following the completion of the post-mortem examinations yesterday. 

The students from an international school in Colombo were reported dead after having fallen off the 67th floor of a luxury apartment complex in Slave Island. 

Their bodies were recovered from the third floor of the complex where airconditioners were placed. (Newswire) 

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At least 115 school children have been killed in road accidents reported so far this year, the Police Traffic Unit reported. 

Police Traffic Unit Chief ASP Manoj Ranagala told the media on Wednesday (Oct 25) that the deaths were caused due to incidents of reckless driving. 

He pointed out that according to Police data, six persons are killed per day in road accidents in Sri Lanka and that once in four hours one death is reported, 3 seriously injured persons are reported, and four persons are reported with injuries requiring treatment.

Stating that 2363 persons had died in road accidents in 2020, ASP Ranagala said that 2513 persons were reported dead in 2021, and 2515 persons were killed in road accidents in 2022, showing an increase in accidents in the country.

He revealed that 150 deaths have been reported due to road accidents in the period from January 01 to October 15 this year. 

Nearly 10% of the deaths reported consist of school students below the age of 18 years, ASP Ranagala added. (NewsWire)

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A school student has fallen victim to a robbery after being injured in the neck while walking along a railway track, the Mirigama Police stated.

According to Lankadeepa, the child, a resident of Giriulla, was attacked with a sharp weapon while returning home after attending tuition class. 

Investigations reveal that the school student had travelled by bus to the Mirigama bus stop and had walked along the railway track towards the Wilwatte area with two other students.

However, the two other students on their mobile phones had not seen the victim being attacked by an unknown person until people ahead of them had brought it to their attention.

The suspect is reported to have attacked the student on his neck and fled with the victim’s bag, which was later recovered on the side of the railway track by the police.

The injured school student has been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital due to being in a serious condition. (NewsWire)

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The Sri Lanka Army has launched a probe to ascertain if military personnel that were deployed to assist the police in containing a protest by University students near the Colombo University on 7th March had been in possession of iron rods and wooden sticks, Army Media Spokesman Brigadier Ravi Herath stated.

According to Mawbima, Brigadier Ravi Herath stated that a probe has been launched after photographs of military personnel on duty with iron rods and wooden sticks were circulated on social media.

He further stated that steps have been taken to identify the origin of the photograph. 

The Army troops were not used to control the protest in question, the Army Spokesman said. 

According to him, the Police riot control unit and the STF had been deployed at the front line to deal with protestors while the Army troops had been held in reserve. 

Brigadier Ravi Herath added that Army troops did not engage with the protestors at the said protest.

Stating that, therefore, it cannot be verified if military personnel were with iron rods and wooden sticks, he said this was also due to the photograph showing the backs of the officers.

The Army Media Spokesman also stated that a long period of time will be required to verify if the photograph was recently taken or is from an old incident. (NewsWire)

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The Peradeniya Police has launched an investigation into the death of a female student at the University of Peradeniya. 

The Police stated that the student was hospitalized last night due to being unwell and had died today (01) while receiving treatment at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. 

The deceased has been identified as a 26-year-old resident of Ridhigama, Kurunegala and a fourth-year student of the Engineering faculty of the University of Peradeniya. 

Stating that the female student was under medication for an illness, the Police stated investigations are underway to ascertain if she had purchased extra medication that had already been prescribed for her illness.

The Police stated that the postmortem examination has been conducted, while an open decision has been declared by the authorities. The body of the student has been handed over to the relatives. (NewsWire)

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