by Mendaka Sumanasekara
During a recent meeting of the Politburo, the supreme body of the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), held at their headquarters, sources within the party, speaking anonymously, revealed discussions about the potential replacement of the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security. This move has attracted attention due to ongoing controversies surrounding the current officeholder and the sensitive nature of the position.
D.W.R.B. Seneviratne, commonly known as Ravi Seneviratne, was appointed as Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in accordance with Sub-Article 52 (1) of the country’s Constitution. Seneviratne, a retired Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, has extensive experience in law enforcement, including serving as a founding member of the Special Task Force (STF) and holding key positions such as Deputy Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and Head of Sri Lanka Interpol.
However, Seneviratne’s appointment has been met with criticism, particularly regarding his alleged negligence in preventing the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. Critics argue that then the division responsible for public safety, under his leadership, failed to act on critical intelligence, which could have averted the tragedy.
In September 2023, London-based Channel 4 aired an unsubstantiated documentary suggesting that the Easter Sunday attacks were part of a conspiracy involving former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, aimed at seizing power. The documentary accused military intelligence of meeting with the ringleader, Zahran Hashim, before the attacks, sabotaging investigations, and attempting to shield those responsible. However, during an event in Geneva, the directors of Channel 4 admitted that they did not possess substantial evidence to back these claims, relying instead on a self-claimed whistleblower, Azad Maulana, a former media secretary for the LTTE splinter group Pillayan, who appeared in the documentary.
Key persons presented in the Channel 4 documentary included:
- Former CID IP Nishantha de Silva
- Journalist Frederica Jans, now residing in the United States
- Lal Wickrematunge, brother of the late journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge
- Former Human Rights Commission Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan
- Former diplomat Sarath Kongahage, who later retracted his statements, claiming he was tricked into appearing in the video by a journalist from Sirasa TV
- Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith
- Azad Maulana, who fled Sri Lanka amid criminal charges and extortion allegations, with his wealth reportedly growing dramatically by the time of his departure
- An unnamed police officer, whose face was covered in the video (later revealed to be Ravi Seneviratne)
After the airing of the documentary, the then-head of Intelligence and other government authorities vehemently denied the allegations. An inquiry panel appointed by President Wickremesinghe, led by a Supreme Court judge, criticized Channel 4 for distorting the truth and recommended legal action against the whistleblower for fabricating stories that tarnished Sri Lanka’s image.
Despite the official rebuttal, the Catholic Church, led by Cardinal Ranjith, along with his two spokesmen, condemned the government’s stance on the documentary. They called for further investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks, based on the allegations raised in the Channel 4 documentary. Interestingly, Cardinal Ranjith himself was one of the key figures who appeared in the documentary.
Meanwhile, Keerthi Ratnayake, a retired Air Force Officer turned freelance journalist, has weighed in on the controversy, stating on his social media, “The investigation into the Easter attacks failed due to deep political interference, and to this day, justice remains unserved for the victims.” Ratnayake further suggested that foreign intelligence agencies, particularly India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), could have been involved in orchestrating the attacks. He added, “R&AW’s involvement in concealing key details about the attack has allowed those in power to shift the blame elsewhere, particularly to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was used as a pawn.”
Ratnayake also referred to Ravi Seneviratne, who appeared in the documentary with his face covered, becoming a focal point due to his role in exposing these allegations. Seneviratne’s claims—particularly regarding military intelligence interference and government sabotage of investigations—have placed him at the center of the debate surrounding the attacks.
