Chaminda Ruwan Yakandawala Sergeant Yakandawala Liyanarachchige Chaminda Ruwan Yakandawala was a Sri Lankan soldier . A member of the Sri Lanka Army Military Police he was selected to serve in the Security Division of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army , Sarath Fonseka . On April 25 , 2006 , he blocked the path of a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber tasked with assassinating Fonseka . Unable to proceed , the suicide bomber detonated the explosives strapped around her waist , killing Yakandawala and eight others in the process . Yakandawala ' s quick actions however saved the life of Sarath Fonseka , who would go on to play a crucial role in the ultimate defeat of the Tamil Tigers and the ending of the Sri Lankan Civil War . Background . Yakandawala Liyanarachchige Chaminda Ruwan Yakandawala was born in the village of Watawala in Matale on November 23 , 1971 , the third of four children . He attended Ginigathena Madhya Maha Vidyalaya until his GCE Ordinary Level examinations , after which he applied to join both the Sri Lanka Army and the Sri Lanka Police . Selected to both services , he decided to join the Sri Lanka Army , and enlisted in October 1991 . He trained at the Army engineering school in Embilipitiya and Panagoda , after which he was mobilized as a military policeman . He was also a boxer for the Army . In 1994 , Yakandawala married Nishanthi Kumburegama , who was a physical training instructor with the Sri Lanka Army Women ' s Corps . They had three children together . Military career . Promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in January 1993 , Yakandawala served in the army during the Rivirasa operation in 1995 , and was awarded a medal for his bravery on the battlefield . He was subsequently selected to serve in the Security Division of the Commander of the Army . After undergoing training as a motor - cycle VIP escort , he joined the riding team of the Army Commander ' s escort in May 1996 . Yakandawala provided security to three Army Commanders beginning with Rohan Daluwatte . He was promoted to Corporal in January 2001 . Suicide attack . On April 25 , 2006 , the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Lt . General Sarath Fonseka was leaving the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters around 1 . 30 pm . Yakandawala was one of the outriders providing security to Fonseka . A Tamil Tiger suicide bomber later identified as Kanapathipillai Manjula Devi gained entrance into the Army headquarters compound by pretending to be a pregnant woman attending the maternity clinic at the Army Hospital , which was located inside the Headquarters compound . Dressed in a blue shalvari suit with a suicide belt containing large razor balls and more than a kilogram of C - 4 strapped around her waist , she waited outside for Fonseka to leave his office . As Fonseka ’ s car approached , Devi ran towards it . Noticing the danger , Yakandawala yelled at her to move away . As she continued running toward the vehicle , Yakandawala kicked out at her , knocking her to the ground . Devi then detonated the explosives strapped on to her . Aftermath . Nine people were killed in the explosion , including Yakandawala , who had razor balls pierce his neck , destroying his trachea . Corporal Priyanjan Viraj , who was on the same bike at Yakandawala was also killed in the explosion . Fonseka suffered serious abdominal injuries in the attack , but his life was saved following emergency surgery at the Colombo National Hospital . He regained consciousness on April 30 . After recovered from his injuries , Fonseka resumed duties as Commander of the Army on July 31 , 2006 . He then led the Sri Lanka Army on a three - year - long campaign to defeat the Tamil Tigers and end the decades long Sri Lankan Civil War . Under Fonseka , the Sri Lanka Army achieved its goal in May 2009 , wiping out the Tamil Tigers and killing all major leaders of the organization , thereby ending the Sri Lankan Civil War .