Demonstrators condemn the delay in the probe into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Colombo on April 20, 2022 (Photo: AFP)
By UCA News reporter
Nov 27 2023
A Sri Lankan cabinet minister has accused Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of not cooperating in the ongoing probe into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which rights activists say is making tardy progress after 55 months.
Tiran Alles, public security minister, criticized the head of the Catholic Church in the Island nation while speaking in parliament on Nov 23.
The cardinal’s “actions were fuelling racial and religious conflicts,” Alles said.
The minister said that the probe into the 2019 bombings inside three Christian churches was nearly 90 percent complete. But the 76-year-old cardinal lacks urgency, he alleged.
Alles said 23 people are in remand in connection with the case “but the cardinal is reluctant to provide updates.”
Church sources said they have no information on the update the minister expects from the cardinal or Church officials.
“The problem needs to be solved or else the same thing will continue for another ten years,” he told lawmakers.
The cardinal has been critical of the ongoing investigations and court cases, claiming that they were biased.
In September, the cardinal called for an international probe into the Easter bombings after a UK-based broadcaster claimed the country’s worst-ever terror attack was an inside job by the government.
“Cardinal Ranjith has issued letters to the authorities against various officials who follow different religions in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks,” Alles further alleged.
The minister recalled how in 2020, Cardinal Ranjith wanted to deny a ministerial berth to Ali Sabri who currently serves as foreign minister, citing his religion.
“Such things cannot be allowed,” as they fuel racial and religious conflicts in the country, he said.
Activist Sunil Dalpadadu asked the government to refrain from fueling tensions based on race and religion.
The devastating Easter Sunday explosions inside three churches and three luxury hotels shook the country, leaving 275 people including foreigners dead and more than 500 injured.
Lawyer Manoj Nanayakkara said that the incomplete nature of the investigation raises questions about the validity of the cases.
“The minister in charge of the police said that the investigation is incomplete. So, we are asking how the cases are filed with the incomplete investigation?” he remarked.
The government has promoted two police officers to the rank of inspector general of police though they were accused of being responsible for the Easter attacks.
“How can those accused of being guilty be promoted?” Nanayakkara asked.
Oblate priest Father Rohan Silva, who advocates the rights of the Easter victims, expressed frustration over the delayed justice.
“It’s been 55 months since the disaster took place, but the masterminds are still at large,” said Silva.
He said the delay has led to a program of “depriving the victims of justice.”
“If justice cannot be found within the country, if an independent investigation cannot be done, it is a very unfortunate situation,” the priest added. – UCA News
