.JPG)
The former director of Sri Lanka’s of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) revealed how the security forces blocked the interrogation of the Easter Sunday bombers before the attack had taken place allegedly due to “national security”, and instead attempted to frame former LTTE cadres in a shocking set of revelations last week.
A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by Shani Abeysekara, revealed how Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence service (SIS) and Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) falsified evidence and allowed members of the National Thowfeek Jamath (NTJ) to function without being interrogated by the CID.
The NTJ went on to perpetrate the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks on churches and luxury hotels on the island, killing over 250 people.
Abeysekara begins by outlining how the Vavunativu murder of two policemen, had been falsely blamed on two former LTTE cadres by the DMI, who had fabricated that the attack was revenge for the interruption of a Maaveerar Naal memorial ceremony on 27th of November 2018.
He states that the SIS had submitted a motorbike jacket as crucial evidence, three days after the murder, despite having been at the scene on the day of the crime. Sniffer dogs that had picked up the scent on the motorbike jacket had only led the CID to former LTTE cadre, Ajanthan’s home, but not to the crime scene itself.
After having been arrested and detained for months, CID officers confirmed only after the Easter Sunday bombings that the murder of the two officers had been committed by the NTJ. Later, the rifle used to kill the policeman were found in a NTJ safe house, and CID investigations implied that the DMI and SIS had falsely fabricated evidence to frame the former cadres.
Abeysekara also states that on more than one occasion, investigations involving one or more NTJ members had been blocked by the SIS or DMI. According to Abeysekara, the SIS had a serving officer who was in direct contact with the NTJ before and after the attacks. The reportedly told Abeysekara “not to proceed” with the interrogation of the officer as it “is a part of [a] covert operation which is directly connected to national security”.
A separate incident involving vandalism of Buddha statues in the Mawanella, Peradeniya and Velambada Police areas triggered a series of investigations that led to an NTJ member admitting that M.C.M. Zahran was intending to cause “communal disharmony” in Sri Lanka.
Abyeskara was soon after swiftly transferred from his position as the Director CID to personal assistant to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Galle Range, for no clear reason.
Following this, he says he received calls threatening him and his family from unknown numbers and the security personnel assigned for his protection had been evoked. He says he was then abruptly removed from his services due to a "recorded telephone conversation", however he claims that no further investigation was carried out, nor was he allowed to give a statement regarding the his dismissal.
Since his dismissal, the petitioner has been arrested for allegedly having "introduced certain weapons that fall within the provisions of the Offensive Weapons Act, Firearms Ordinance and the Explosives Act" amongst other reasons.
As has been pointed out on social media, Abeysekara’s petition is sworn evidence submitted before the Supreme Court.
See the full petition here.
