Easter Sunday made into political football

One of the greatest human tragedies in recent Sri Lankan history has been made into a political football with many in the political arena trading accusations and slander with little accountability for the perpetrators or justice for the victims. During a three-day adjournment debate in Parliament last week, there were countless accusations and counter accusations but little else that brought closure to the victims or justice for the culprits. 

Even though five years have passed since the devastating attacks on 21 April 2019 killing 260 civilians, to date, not a single individual who perpetrated the crime or those who ought to have prevented the crime have been held accountable. The only marginal victory marked in this long road for justice is the Supreme Court ordering former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay Rs. 100 million as compensation for the victims of the tragedy.

The more disturbing developments are regarding credible accusations that State agencies were involved in this attack. In a fundamental rights petition to the Supreme Court in February 2022, former director of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID), SSP Abeysekera made several chilling revelations that directly implied links between the bombers and several state intelligence agencies. He also claims that there was serious interference by these agencies into the CID investigations into the terrorist group’s operations in the lead up to the Easter attacks. Later last year, State Minister for Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon made a startling revelation officially admitting in Parliament that the individual who was known by the code name ‘Sonic’, was in fact an intelligence operative of the State. According to the Minister, Sonic had infiltrated the terror cell of Zaharan Hashim and been a source of information.

Last year, the UK broadcaster, Channel 4, made startling revelations that linked Sri Lanka’s clandestine and powerful intelligence network to the bombings. A whistle-blower claimed that he arranged a meeting between several of the suicide bombers and the head of Sri Lanka’s intelligence apparatus, Major General Suresh Sallay. The whistle-blower also claims that Sallay called him on the day of the bombings and instructed him to go to the Taj Samudra Hotel to meet an individual. It was the suicide bomber tasked to blow himself up at the Taj who didn’t detonate his bomb but later killed himself at a lodge in Dehiwela. There is no record of General Sallay or the individual now identified as ‘Sonic’ even being questioned by a competent authority after these revelations. 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has also shown little interest in pursuing justice for this crime. It is possibly over his own neglect as prime minister in 2019 when he claimed that he was left out of national security matters by then President Sirisena. Whatever the motives may be the abysmal failure of the Sri Lankan judiciary to deliver justice to the victims of this crime is now evident. 

The perpetrators and those who were criminally negligent in preventing this crime must be held accountable. In this regard if the local criminal justice system continues to fail in its duty there is no other choice but to seek international action in the quest for justice. Until there is some justice for the victims of this tragedy, it should not be allowed to be made a political football, kicked from one side to another for mere political expediency. Those who play this game of ‘ball passing’ are equally culpable in covering up this heinous crime.