Sri Lanka Marks Six Years Since Easter Bombings

Six years have passed since suicide bombers tore through churches and hotels across Sri Lanka, leaving behind shattered lives, scorched sanctuaries, and lingering questions. On that April morning in 2019, the nation stood frozen—not in reverence, but in horror. Today, the pain endures. So does the silence.

For many survivors, justice remains elusive. While governments have changed hands—four presidents and three administrations later—closure remains out of reach. The wounds of that day have yet to heal, and the demand for accountability grows louder with each passing year.

A Preventable Tragedy

The story is now painfully familiar. Islamist extremists linked to the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), led by Zahran Hashim, carried out coordinated attacks on Easter Sunday. St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, and Zion Church in Batticaloa were among the hardest hit. Luxury hotels Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand, and Kingsbury were transformed from sites of celebration to scenes of carnage.

Questions arose even before the smoke cleared. How could this happen? Who allowed it? More disturbingly, fragments of answers emerged almost immediately, deepening public outrage. Investigations revealed that Indian intelligence had repeatedly warned Sri Lankan authorities of an imminent attack, naming suspects and likely targets.

Yet the government, fractured between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, failed catastrophically. The security apparatus collapsed not from a lack of information, but from a lack of action. Apologies followed, but they rang hollow as leaders traded blame.

Justice Delayed, Justice Denied

In the aftermath, arrests, inquiries, and commissions followed. Twelve Fundamental Rights cases filed in the Supreme Court resulted in a landmark ruling: the state and senior officials, including Sirisena and thenInspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, had failed to prevent the attacks. Compensation was ordered, but accountability remained incomplete.

To date, the main criminal case against 25 accused remains in its early stages. Two senior officials—former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Jayasundara—were initially acquitted, only for the Supreme Court to overturn the decision in November 2024, ordering a fresh hearing. The wheels of justice turn slowly.

Meanwhile, other cases—such as those against lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah and poet Ahnaf Jazeem—have raised concerns over wrongful prosecution under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. These cases highlight a justice system that appears both selective and misdirected.

Beyond the courts, the true cost of the attacks is borne in silence. Survivors continue to struggle, with the Malaiyaha Tamil community—already marginalized hit particularly hard. A report by the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) warns that without accurate victim counts, some families risk being excluded from reparations. Discrepancies in official data have led to inconsistent fund allocation, the report notes, urging the government to ensure no victim is left behind.

The Pillayan Controversy

In 2023, a documentary reignited scrutiny over alleged military intelligence involvement in the attacks. While much of its content echoed existing suspicions, it introduced explosive claims—linking thenState Intelligence chief Suresh Sallay and former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, known as 'Pillayan,' to the bombers.

The documentary alleged a broader conspiracy to engineer a security crisis that would benefit Gotabaya Rajapaksa's 2019 presidential campaign. Though swiftly denied by the government, the claims persisted. Two subsequent commissions compiled reports that remain unpublished, fueling calls for transparency and an international probe.

With the election of the new government in 2024, investigations were reopened. However, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has cautioned against premature revelations, despite mounting pressure. His administration has hinted at possessing information that could substantiate conspiracy claims.

The recent arrest of Pillayan in early April added another layer of intrigue. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament that evidence linked Pillayan to the attacks. But former MP Udaya Gammanpila, now Pillayan's lawyer, disputed this, stating his client was detained in connection with a 2006 abduction case—not the Easter bombings. Gammanpila accused the government of misleading the public and violating due process.

A Nation's Unanswered Call

For the Catholic Church, the demand for justice has become a spiritual crusade. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has emerged as a vocal advocate, calling for an international inquiry and refusing to accept silence. Human rights groups and victims' collectives echo a simpler plea: the truth. Not just arrests, but a full reckoning of what happened and why.

Despite court rulings, compensation schemes, and reparation funds, Sri Lanka remains haunted by that April morning. The tragedy has become a political battleground, with blame deflected, reports buried, and survivors' pain sidelined.

Six years on, the reckoning is overdue. The Easter Sunday attacks were not just an intelligence failure. They were a failure of leadership, of moral responsibility, of justice. Until that justice is served fully, transparently, and fearlessly Sri Lanka will carry this tragedy as an open wound.