MASTERMINDING THE MASTERMIND

In spite of more than ten local and foreign investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks targeting Christians which have been conducted for the past six years, the victim community has not been content yet. Similarly, certain political groups are also not happy with the outcomes of these investigations.

- By M.S.M.Ayub

The reason for the disappointment in some groups is the failure of the investigations to prove their theory that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was behind these terrorist attacks in order to create an atmosphere that was conducive for them to win the Presidential election held in the same year.

Starting from the day after the macabre crime committed by the National Thawheed Jama’ath (NTJ) led by Zahran Hashim, one of the suicide bombers who attacked three tourist hotels and three churches, three Presidential committees, a Presidential commission, a Parliamentary Select Committee have been appointed to investigate into these terrorist attacks. Besides that a fundamental rights case too has been concluded. 12 men have been indicted. Another 108 cases have been filed seeking compensation to the victims.

Apart from these, investigative arms of the US, UK, Australia, India, China, Pakistan, New Zealand, Denmark, Germany and Interpol have also carried out probes on the matter, according to various reports.

Yet, there are groups including the Catholic Church that are not fully content with any one of them. Hence, every April after 2019, the Catholic community led by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith insist on meting out justice to the victim families of the terrorist attacks that was carried out during one of their holiest days.

The Cardinal called on the government of the day in 2019 to hand over the powers to any capable group unless it cannot do justice to the victims and mobilised his people to support Gotabaya Rajapaksa who pledged to trace those who planned and executed the crime, at the Presidential election in the same year. He, after election, expressed satisfaction over the investigations but only to withdraw their support to the Rajapaksa government within months.