Ranjan Senaratne Bandara, Officer-in-Charge of the ‘Q’ Division of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), has been arrested in connection with the continuing investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, as prosecutors raise new allegations concerning the handling of intelligence about extremist activity before the bombings.
The development followed proceedings before the Fort Magistrate Court on Tuesday (15), where Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris sought a travel ban against Bandara, who had been responsible for handling the extremist desk. The court subsequently imposed a foreign travel ban on the officer after prosecutors identified him as a person required for the ongoing investigation.
The prosecution was represented by ASG Peiris and DIG Shani Abeysekera, while the Defence team was led by President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando. The proceedings centred principally on allegations relating to the Easter Sunday attacks and the continued hospitalisation of Major General Suresh Sallay.
On the hospitalisation issue, the ASG criticised the Director of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) for failing to submit a medical report requested by the court within the stipulated period. He asked that the Director be directed to appear before court with the relevant report. The Fort Magistrate subsequently ordered the Director to appear on 22 September and explain the failure to submit the documents.
The prosecution also alleged that certain doctors, including the NHSL Director, were conspiring to facilitate Sallay’s continued hospitalisation. Peiris referred to the former SIS director receiving food from home, daily family visits and weekly visits from lawyers, and described his circumstances as effectively a “vacation”. The prosecution argued that his continued hospitalisation was hampering the investigation.
The Defence strongly rejected any suggestion that it had conspired with medical personnel to facilitate Sallay’s continued stay in hospital. It also said it had no objection to the medical report being submitted to court through the proper procedure. Defence counsel further challenged the evidentiary basis of allegations presented during the proceedings, maintaining that statements contained in B reports should not themselves be treated as established evidence.
On the Easter Sunday investigation, the prosecution made allegations concerning members of the Army, the Military Directorate, the Commanding Officer of 1 MIC in Vavuniya and personnel attached to the SIS. Peiris alleged that a section within Military Intelligence had protected Zahran Hashim, who led the Easter Sunday suicide attacks, and that information concerning extremist activity had not been adequately shared with other security agencies. These remain allegations made by the prosecution as part of an ongoing investigation, rather than findings that have been established by the court.
The prosecution also raised the role of Bandara in relation to intelligence information concerning suspected extremists. According to submissions reported from the proceedings, Bandara had provided a list of 94 suspected extremists to then-SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena before the attacks, with Zahran and his brother Rilwan among those named. Prosecutors alleged that further investigations were ordered but questioned whether sufficient action followed.
The Defence rejected attempts to establish a connection between Bandara and retired Major General Sallay without what it described as credible and admissible evidence. It argued that allegations linking intelligence and military personnel to Sallay were, at this stage, unsubstantiated theories and that the prosecution would need to establish any such connection through evidence rather than conjecture.
The latest proceedings mark another development in the continuing investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks, with the court now due to consider the outstanding medical reports and further matters concerning the investigation on 22 September.
