Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila has accused the government of attempting to fabricate a new “mastermind” behind the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks to protect those he claims are truly responsible within the administration.
Speaking at a media briefing today (Feb. 3), Gammanpila said the government initially came to power promising to bring the real perpetrators to justice. However, he alleged that since some figures within the administration were involved, an alternative narrative was being created to mislead the public.
“The government is now engaged in an elaborate plan to frame a new mastermind, as those truly responsible are still within the administration,” he said without giving any evidence.
He further claimed that former Chief of Intelligence Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay and former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa were being targeted as part of this effort. “The objective is to establish the false claim that Sri Lanka’s intelligence services carried out the Easter bombings to benefit Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the presidential election,” he added.
Gammanpila referenced a three-member presidential investigation committee, comprising a former Supreme Court judge, a former Air Force commander, and a President’s Counsel, which he said had dismissed allegations made by a UK-based Channel 4 documentary linking Sri Lanka’s intelligence agencies to the attacks. He accused the government of ignoring the report and pushing a misleading narrative.
He also alleged that Asad Maulana, the key witness in the alleged government plot, faces multiple criminal accusations, including fraud and identity deception. Gammanpila claimed the government was facilitating Maulana’s return to Sri Lanka to obtain a statement against intelligence officials while suppressing investigations into his alleged crimes.
The PHU leader posed eight questions to the government, police spokesperson, and relevant authorities, seeking clarity on the removal of Maulana’s foreign travel ban, alleged political interference in police investigations, and efforts to alter the Easter attacks’ narrative.
“We demand immediate responses from the government’s media spokesperson, the Inspector General of Police, or the police media division on these pressing concerns,” he said.
The 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed over 260 people and injured hundreds, remain a politically sensitive issue in Sri Lanka, with ongoing disputes over accountability. (Newswire)