Bandaranaike was at home in Rosmead Place on the morning of 25 September 1959 , when S.W.R.D. was shot multiple times by a Buddhist monk , disgruntled over what he believed to be lack of support for traditional medicine . Bandaranaike accompanied her husband to hospital where he succumbed to his wounds the following day . In the political chaos that followed under the caretaker government of Wijeyananda Dahanayake , many cabinet ministers were removed , and some were arrested and tried for the assassination . The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna coalition collapsed without S.W.R.D. 's influence , and elections were called for March 1960 to fill the seat for the Attanagalla constituency . Bandaranaike reluctantly agreed to run as an independent candidate , but before the election could be held , Parliament was dissolved , and she decided not to contest the seat . When the election was held in March 1960 , the United National Party won a four-seat majority over the Sri Lanka Freedom Party . Dudley Senanayake , the new Prime Minister , was defeated within a month in a vote of confidence and a second general election was called for July 1960
S.W.R.D. was shot
Assassination of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Sirimavo Bandaranaike