Pilleyan appears before CID

Colombo, Nov 20 (Daily Mirror) - Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pilleyan, arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) this morning (20) to provide a statement.

He arrived to provide a statement regarding the controversial Channel 4 documentary on the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka.

Earlier, the CID launched an investigation into the documentary telecast by Britain's Channel 4 on the Easter bombings. The documentary, titled 'Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings', was broadcast on September 6, 2023, and features a statement from Muhammad Millar Muhammad Hansir, also known as Azad Hansir Maulana. He was a media presenter and finance secretary for the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) party, which was led by Pilleyan.

Police said an external organisation has filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Public Security regarding the documentary. The complaint was then forwarded to Police Headquarters and handed over to the CID for further investigations.

The CID is probing several issues, including the dissemination of controversial information about the Easter attacks and potential conspiracies outlined in the Penal Code.

The department also presented the matter to the Fort Magistrate’s Court on November 11, according to police.

Pilleyan was initially summoned to the CID on November 12 to provide a statement regarding a new investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks. However, he requested an alternative date for his statement.