Maru Sira (original) (raw)

Dedduwa Jayathungalage "D.J." Siripala (Sinhala: දෙද්දුවා ජයතුංගලාගේ සිරිපාල; 1949 – August 7, 1975), also known by the pseudonym Maru Sira (Maru: deadly, Sira: Short form of Siripala), was a Sri Lankan young criminal and bandit active from the late 1960s until the mid 1970s. He was on death row following a conviction for a serial murder. His controversial execution (hanging) led to many debates by creating the popular question "kill by hanging or hang after killing". Siripala achieved fame through several prison escapes while his romance with Ranmanika made his story memorable.