by Our Correspondent in Colombo
A former director of Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), retired SSP Shani Abeysekara, has called for the immediate release of two commission reports investigating the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that were appointed by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Speaking at a public event during a book launch today, September 25, 2024, the ex-CID director emphasized the importance of making these findings available to the public to further investigations and uncover the truth behind the devastating incident.
Mr. Abeysekara expressed concern that the final reports of the inquiry commissions remain undisclosed, raising doubts about the events that led to the bombings. The attacks, which took place on April 21, 2019, targeted Catholic churches and luxury hotels, killing more than 260 people and injuring hundreds.
The documentary, titled Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings, aired on September 6, 2023, by London based Channel 4 and made serious allegations regarding the involvement of senior government officials in the attacks. The film featured testimonies from whistleblowers, including Hanzeer Azad Maulana, a former spokesman for the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) group. Maulana alleged that the bombers had met with a senior Sri Lankan intelligence officer in 2018, suggesting that the attacks were part of a larger plot to destabilize the country and pave the way for former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s return to power.
However, during an event in Geneva a few days after the airing of the documentary on Easter Sunday, the Channel 4 directors of the documentary admitted that they did not have any substantive evidence other than the claims made by the whistleblower to prove the allegations.
Following the documentary’s release, President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations. The committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice S.I. Imam, also includes retired Air Force Commander A.C.M. Jayalath Weerakkody and President’s Counsel Harsha A.J. Soza.
The president has also set up a separate Committee of Inquiry, led by retired Judge A.N.J. De Alwis, to review the conduct of Sri Lankan intelligence agencies, including the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Chief of National Intelligence (CNI). This committee is tasked with evaluating how these agencies responded to intelligence warnings provided by Indian authorities prior to the attacks.
Despite these efforts, questions remain about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the bombings. The former CID director urged the public release of the commission reports, arguing that full transparency is necessary to hold accountable those involved and ensure justice for the victims.
