Easter attack: controversy swirls further high

• Can it be considered an issue pertaining to one community since 46 foreigners also died?
• Pressure mounts for release of findings of foreign intelligence, investigative authorities

Further controversy swirls around the Easter Sunday attack- the series of bomb blasts that rocked Sri Lanka on April 19, 2019, killing nearly 300 people including 46 foreign nationals - after Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader former MP Udaya Gammanpila put in public domain one report on the incident, which recommends prosecution of current secretary to the Public Security Ministry Ravi Seneviratne for his alleged negligence of duty as a senior DIG (Deputy Inspector General of Police) at that time.  

Sri Lanka was shocked after the serial bombings for the first time after the country ended the 30-year-old war in May 2009. The bombings, which targeted three hotels in Colombo and three churches. Most of the victims were Catholics or Christians. However, there were other nationals including 46 foreigners who were killed in the attacks.   

The confirmed international casualties were from the UK, Denmark, Portugal, India, Turkey, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, Spain, Bangladesh, the US and China. As a result, it cannot be considered an incident affecting only one religious or ethnic group but an international issue.  

The coordinated attackers were carried out by radicalized terrorists led by Mohamed Zahran who also blew himself up on the day. The Intelligence Bureau of India conducted an investigation into the attack as a foreign intelligence agency. Besides, foreign investigative authorities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Australian Federal Police carried out investigations.  

The suicide bombers were identified as members of the s National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ). Later, ISIS also admitted responsibility for carrying out the attack through its local terror network NTJ. 

More than 23,000 charges have been filed against the suspects, and 1,215 witnesses have been called to testify.  

However, the incident became a political topic. Following the attack, national security became a political topic once again in Sri Lanka. It was used by then presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa as one of his campaign themes in the lead-up to the 2019 presidential elections which he won.  

However, the Catholic Church, particularly Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, was not happy with the findings of various committees appointed during the time of the Yahapalana government and the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government. The Church raised suspicion about a mastermind behind the attack.  

The issue came to the forefront again in the run-up to the September 21 Presidential Election with all the key presidential candidates promising fresh probes. Current President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has now vowed to probe it afresh and bring to light really those responsible.  

Mr. Gammanpila raised the issue once again and asked why the new government is concealing some details from the reports commissioned by then President Ranil Wickremesinghe . He released a copy of the report worked out by the committee headed by A.N.J. de Alwis at that time. The committee, in its report, recommended prosecution of Mr. Seneviratne for negligence of duty as then DIG in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).  

Controversy keeps swirling around the incident. It is no longer a case involving one community or ethnic group since people of all main faiths died in the bombings- of course, the Catholic and Christian victims outnumber the others way above. It is high time to reveal the findings of foreign intelligence authorities and investigative agencies as it is a case relevant to the nationals of those countries who perished in the attack.