• The main ceremony of the Ranaviru Upahara will be held at the Katukurunda Special Task Force Training School in Kalutara

The Police Special Task Force (STF) will celebrate its 40th Anniversary on Sunday, September 1st to mark its War Heroes Day in several special events to be held in Colombo and outstations.   

The main ceremony of the Ranaviru Upahara will be held at the Katukurunda Special Task Force Training School in Kalutara and parallel events are scheduled to take place at the war heroes monuments in Ampara, Anuradhapura and Kataragama STF camps as well as at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. On September 3rd a special alms giving ceremony is organised at the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy.   

Forty years ago on September 1, 1984 a truck carrying STF personnel came under LTTE attack at Thikkam in Jaffna. Four Police Sergeants R. Chandrapala, P. A. Ekanayake, L. D. Nanayakkara and Police Sergeant Driver H. D. Sumanasekara died on the spot whilst eleven others sustained injuries.   

 During the North East war 464 STF soldiers and six civil servants sacrificed their lives to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the motherland, whilst 774 personnel were injured and became disabled for lifetime.   
 The celebration is annually conducted with the families of the STF war heroes including parents, wives, children and relatives participating in the main event. School equipment to uplift the education of the children of the remembered soldiers will also be distributed on this day.