Gammanpila goes gung ho over Easter Sunday attacks

 Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader and former MP Udaya Gammanpila (centre) gestures during the media briefing yesterday on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks 

• Says De Alwis committee report alleges SDIG Ravi Seneviratne was informed by SIS on 9 Apr. 2019 of potential attack by terrorists, but letter had remained unopened as he was abroad 
• Claims report says Seneviratne had received 13 reports between Jan. and Apr. 2019 on activities of Zahran Hashim’s group but did not take necessary steps to prevent attacks
• Questions integrity of new investigation into tragedy with Seneviratne now serving as Public Security Ministry Secretary 
• Accuses President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of concealing these reports to shield Seneviratne and others linked to his political campaign 
• Threatens to impeach Dissanayake if he does not remove Seneviratne and apologises to citizens for appointing him
• Political commentators question legitimacy of De Alwis committee appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe
• Claims committee was established with ulterior motive of targeting Seneviratne and former CID Director Shani Abeysekara
• Highlights no other PCoI or Committee has found fault with the duo in connection to attack

The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and former MP Udaya Gammanpila yesterday demanded the immediate removal of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ravi Seneviratne from his position as  Public Security Ministry Secretary. 

Gammanpila alleged that Seneviratne was aware of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks but failed to take appropriate action.

Speaking at a press conference, Gammanpila presented findings from two unpublished committee reports into the attacks commissioned by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2023 and 2024. 

He said that one report was prepared by a committee led by retired Judge A.N.J. De Alwis to investigate the actions and responses of Sri Lanka’s intelligence and security authorities in relation to the 21 April 2019 attacks and the second, by a three-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Syed Ishrat Imam on the Channel 4 allegations. He said both reportedly implicate Seneviratne.

Gammanpila cited page 40 of the De Alwis report, which alleges that Seneviratne, then Head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), had been informed by the State Intelligence Service on 9 April 2019 of a potential attack by the Thowheed Jamath militant group, led by Zahran Hashim. Despite this, Seneviratne failed to act on the warning, according to Gammanpila.

“The report raises serious allegations against Ravi Seneviratne. He has even filed a case in the Supreme Court to prevent his arrest over the matter,” Gammanpila said. 

He further revealed that Seneviratne was overseas from 9-16 April 2019 and did not forward the intelligence warning to his stand-in, Senior DIG B.R.S.R. Nagahamulla. As a result, the letter warning of the attack remained unopened on Seneviratne’s desk for 12 days. 

Gammanpila questioned why the letter had not been handed over to the officer in charge. “When inquired, the Senior DIG’s office had informed the Committee that they had been instructed by Seneviratne not to open confidential letters addressed to him in his absence. As such, the letter had been on Ravi Seneviratne’s desk for nearly 12 days,” Gammanpila said. 

Gammanpila claimed that Seneviratne had received 13 reports between January and April 2019 on the activities of Zahran Hashim’s group but did not take necessary steps to prevent the attacks. The former MP emphasised that the reports clearly name Seneviratne as a key figure who should face legal action for negligence, as detailed on page 41 of the second report.

“Ravi Seneviratne is now in charge of the police investigating the Easter attacks,” Gammanpila said, questioning the integrity of any investigation conducted under his leadership. 

Gammanpila also accused President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of concealing these reports, which he believes shield Seneviratne and others linked to the President’s election campaign.

The former MP also called on the President to issue a public apology for attempting to conceal the reports and threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings if no action is taken.

Meanwhile Young Journalists’ Association (YJA) President Tharindu Jayawardhana has questioned the legitimacy of the Committee of Inquiry to investigate the actions and responses of Sri Lanka’s intelligence and security authorities in relation to the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attack. 

In a Youtube podcast, Jayawardhana, who has constantly reported on the tragedy, said the committee led by retired Judge A.N.J. De Alwis is not a legally legitimate committee. 

He noted that the report published by former MP Udaya Gammanpila was one commissioned by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to probe into if responsible parties had acted or not according to information provided by intelligence services to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist attack. 

“Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed the committee on 12 June 2024. In turn, the committee conducted its investigations and handed over the report to Wickremesinghe in September 2024,” he said. 

Jayawardhana claimed the committee was established with the ulterior motive of targeting the current Public Security Ministry Secretary Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne and former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Shani Abeysekara.

To back this up, Jayawardhana argued that the timing of the committee’s formation coincided with the period in which Seneviratne and Abeysekara were set to join a collective of retired police officers supporting the National People’s Power (NPP) party, suggesting a deliberate attempt to discredit them. He emphasised that none of the previous commissions investigating the Easter Sunday terrorist attack had accused the two officials. “This is the only committee which has accused the duo,” he said. 

Jayawardhana also disclosed that both Seneviratne and Abeysekara had presented evidence before the De Alwis committee and challenged Gammanpila to release the evidence notes, arguing that would clarify the committee’s true intentions.

Meanwhile, political commentators pointed out that the report released by Gammanpila has found no fault with the Directorate of Military Intelligence, despite its allegedly close links to the attackers. It has also failed to mention Major General Suresh Salley who was accused of the same in a Channel 4 documentary into the attack. They also noted that it has cleared former President Maithripala Sirisena contrary to the Supreme Court findings which resulted in him having to pay Rs. 100 million in compensation to the victims. 

Commentators have pointed out that Gammanpila also remained silent on Senior DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon, despite the fact that a Presidential Committee of Inquiry found him negligent in preventing the attack, and did not oppose his appointment as IGP. 

They also questioned why Gammanpila stayed quiet when former President Maithripala Sirisena, who was similarly found at fault by the committee, aligned himself with the political party supported by Gammanpila.