-By LeN Muslim Affairs Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -08.July.2025, 9.25 PM) More than six years after the devastating Easter Sunday suicide bombings that shook Sri Lanka and killed 269 people, fresh demands for justice are echoing not only for the victims of the attack but also for those who were unjustly targeted in its aftermath. A growing body of evidence—some newly leaked—suggests that the post-attack Islamophobic campaign, arrests, and detentions were not the result of legitimate counter-terrorism efforts, but part of a well-orchestrated strategy tied to the political ambitions of the Rajapaksa family.
The National People’s Power (NPP) government, swept to power on a promise of justice and reform, is now under intense public pressure to initiate a criminal investigation into the individuals and institutions alleged to have conspired in this dark chapter of Sri Lankan history. These include high-ranking military intelligence officers, a self-styled counter-terrorism expert, a private television station, and at least one prominent Muslim political figure believed to have collaborated in the demonisation of his own community.
The attack on 21 April 2019—Easter Sunday—was initially blamed on Islamic extremists, namely a group led by Zaharan Hashim, a radical preacher from the Eastern Province. But in the years that followed, disturbing revelations emerged. Multiple independent inquiries and investigative reports suggested that the attack could have been prevented—and, more shockingly, that it may have been facilitated by elements within the Sri Lankan state apparatus.
A recently leaked document obtained by Lanka e-News points the finger squarely at a shadowy triumvirate: a so-called counter-terrorism expert who masqueraded under the guise of academic authority, a television network known for its pro-Rajapaksa leanings, and a Muslim legal advisor with close ties to the Rajapaksa regime. Together, these actors allegedly devised and executed a post-attack Islamophobic campaign that resulted in hundreds of arbitrary arrests, the detention of prominent Muslim professionals and politicians, and the widespread vilification of the Muslim community in media.
“This was not merely an intelligence failure—it was an engineered security vacuum followed by an equally engineered wave of Islamophobia,” says a senior NPP official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s now clear that the Easter Sunday tragedy was used as a political ladder.”
At the centre of this alleged strategy was Gotabaya Rajapaksa, then a presidential hopeful. With the country reeling from the attacks, his campaign capitalised on the widespread fear, projecting him as a strongman who could restore national security. Within months, he was elected President by a landslide—carried into office largely on the back of the Sinhala Buddhist vote, consolidated through the perception that only he could contain the "Muslim threat".
“The goal was clear: manufacture fear, and offer only one man as the solution,” says Professor Mohamed, a political sociologist at the University of Jaffna. “Muslims became collateral damage in a power project.”
Among the first victims of this political machinery were human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah, who was arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in April 2020, and former minister Rishad Bathiudeen, who was detained for over a year under similar allegations. Neither was charged with any direct connection to the Easter attacks, but both became high-profile examples of state repression.
While both men have since been released—amid growing international outcry and lack of evidence—the scars remain.
Central to the Islamophobia campaign, according to the leaked documents, was a man described as a “fake professor” and “pseudo counter-terrorism expert”—widely believed to be Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, a name that has long raised eyebrows among scholars and security analysts alike. Despite holding no verifiable academic position in Sri Lanka and having a controversial career abroad, he was given unprecedented access to law enforcement agencies and the national security apparatus during the Rajapaksa years.
Gunaratna is alleged to have not only provided strategic advice to the government on how to manage public perception post-Easter attacks but also issued direct instructions to law enforcement bodies to “round up high-profile Muslims.” His frequent appearances on a leading private television station—where he repeatedly suggested that prominent Muslim politicians were secretly supporting extremism—played a central role in shaping public sentiment.
Notably, the leaked document indicates that there was even a plan to arrest Rauff Hakeem, the longstanding leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). While Hakeem was never detained, sources say he was "very much on the list" and only international diplomatic pressure prevented his arrest.
Over the past three years, a parallel narrative has gained traction: that Zaharan Hashim was not acting alone nor purely out of religious ideology. Investigative journalists and whistleblowers have pointed to links between Zaharan and Sri Lankan military intelligence officers. Some allege that he was under surveillance—and perhaps even protected—by certain intelligence factions prior to the attack.
Indeed, multiple commissions of inquiry heard testimony that advance warnings had been shared with Sri Lankan authorities by Indian intelligence services, but no meaningful action was taken. The most damning testimony came from within the Sri Lankan Catholic Church, with Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith publicly questioning the motives behind the failure to prevent the bombing.
“To this day, not a single senior official has been held accountable,” said Father Jude Fernando, who lost parishioners in the St. Anthony’s Shrine bombing. “And now we’re learning that the Muslim community was punished for a crime they didn’t commit.”
With the NPP now in power, activists, legal scholars, and civil society leaders are demanding action. Among the key demands:
A criminal investigation into the media station alleged to have aired state-sponsored Islamophobic content.
Legal proceedings against the so-called counter-terrorism expert, accused of misusing his influence to direct intelligence operations against Muslims.
Examination of the role of senior intelligence officers, including any cover-up or complicity in the Easter Sunday attacks.
Review of all detentions under PTA post-Easter attacks, with a view to issuing formal apologies and compensation to those wrongfully imprisoned.
Establishment of an independent truth commission, with international observers, to establish the full sequence of events from 2018 to 2020.
“The truth has been buried for too long,” says Shreen Saroor, a human rights activist. “The NPP government cannot call itself reformist unless it has the courage to face this.”
Among the most troubling details in the leak is the alleged involvement of a Muslim legal advisor with ties to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Identified only as a "Kalutara-based former foreign minister", the individual is believed to have facilitated meetings between Rajapaksa’s campaign team and pro-government Muslim businessmen, while simultaneously providing legal strategy for arresting dissenting Muslim voices.
“If true, it is one of the most shameful betrayals of our time,” says a former SLMC member. “He sold his community for power.”
While the current NPP government has publicly promised justice for Easter Sunday victims, its commitment to investigating the post-attack Islamophobia campaign remains unclear. Critics argue that prosecuting those responsible—including media moguls, senior ex-military officials, and politically connected "experts"—would require unprecedented political will.
“If the NPP backs down now, it’ll prove that even new governments are afraid of touching the sacred cows of the security state,” said constitutional lawyer Latheef Farook. “There is no reconciliation without truth.”
The story of the Easter Sunday attacks is no longer just about bombs in churches. It is about a nation that allowed fear to override facts, prejudice to masquerade as patriotism, and ambition to bury the truth.
As more documents leak and testimonies emerge, the call for accountability grows louder. Whether the NPP has the courage to act remains to be seen. But for the hundreds of Muslims detained without charge, for the families of the Easter victims, and for the soul of a wounded nation, justice cannot wait much longer.
-By LeN Muslim Affairs Correspondent
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by (2025-07-08 15:57:58)
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