Rudra Srichandra Rajasingham (2 April 1926 – 24 March 2006) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n police officer and diplomat. He was the Inspector General of Police and Sri Lankan

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Early life and family

Rajasingham was born on 2 April 1926. He was the son of surgeon A. S. Rajasingham and Noble Rajasingham. He was educated at

Hartley College Hartley College ( ta, ஹாட்லிக் கல்லூரி ''Hāṭlik Kallūri'') is a provincial school in Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1838 by British Methodist missionaries, it is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools. The school i ...

C.M.S. Ladies' College, Colombo (Latin) , motto_translation = This is the victory, even our faith - 1 John 5: 4 , location = 66 Sir Ernest de Silva mawatha, Colombo 7 , country = Sri Lanka , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Sri Lanka Colombo Municipality , pushpin_image = ...

and Trinity College, Kandy. He was a school prefect and member of the cricket and rugby teams at Trinity College. After school he joined the

University of Ceylon The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Univer ...

, Colombo from where he graduated with a degree in English, History and Economics. He played cricket and rugby for the university too. Rajasingham married Sita. They had a daughter (Sharminie).

Career

Rajasingham joined the

Ceylon Police Force (The one who lives by the Dhamma is protected by the Dhamma itself) , mission = , formedyear = , preceding1 = Ceylon Police Force (1866–1972) , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = ...

in 1949 as a probationary

Assistant Superintendent of Police Assistant superintendent, or assistant superintendent of police (ASP), is a rank that was used by police forces in the British Empire and is still used in many police forces in the Commonwealth. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held b ...

. He worked at several police stations including Tangalle,

Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places: India * Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala Sri Lanka * Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka ** Mannar Island, an island within the district **Mannar Bridge, a bridge connect ...

and

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. He rose up the ranks and in 1982 he was appointed Inspector General of Police, the most senior police officer post in the country. He was a Sri Lankan representative at the Thimpu peace talks with Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups in 1985. Rajasingham was head of the Police Sports Club and its rugby section. He also played for

Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club, also known as CR & FC, is a Division-A rugby union team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka which plays in the Dialog Rugby League. Established in 1922, the club has won the Clifford Cup Knockout Tournament fifteen times, ...

, served as its president in 1971 and made life member in 1974.

Later life

After retirement Rajasingham was appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador to Indonesia in 1985. He was later chairman of the State Mortgage Bank and a member of the first Commission to Investigate Allegations Bribery and Corruption. Rajasingham was president of

Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union Sri Lanka Rugby is the governing body for rugby union in Sri Lanka. It is one of the oldest governing bodies in the world, being founded as the Ceylon Rugby Football Union in 1908. History The Ceylon Rugby Football Union was founded in 1908. T ...

between 1993 and 1994. Rajasingham died on 24 March 2006 at the Police Hospital in Colombo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajasingham, Rudra 1926 births 2006 deaths Alumni of Ladies' College, Colombo Alumni of Hartley College Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy Alumni of the University of Ceylon Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Indonesia Sri Lankan Inspectors General of Police Sri Lankan rugby union players Sri Lankan diplomats Tamils of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamil police officers Sri Lankan Tamil sportspeople Sri Lankan Christians