Priests and nuns want arrest of real culprit behind the planting of a live grenade at All Saints Church in Borella
Sri Lankan Catholics hold placards as they take part in a protest outside a church in Colombo on April 9, 2022. (Photo: AFP)
Church officials in Sri Lanka have demanded proper investigations to find out criminals who planted a live hand grenade inside the All Saints Church in the capital Colombo a year ago.
Some hundred Catholics including priests and nuns protested the government’s failure to arrest the real culprits behind the act as they gathered outside the church in the city’s Borella area, after Sunday Mass on Jan. 15.
They held posters that asked: “Who is the mastermind? Why is the police silent when there is the evidence? Why the culprits are still not prosecuted? Who sent the bomber?”
A photo of the alleged suspect recorded in the CCTV cameras at the church was printed on a poster with the message, “This is the main culprit who placed the bomb,” underneath it.
Father Jude Chrisantha, archdiocesan director of mass communications in Colombo, recalled the grenade recovery and arrests on Jan. 11 last year, just three days ahead of the commemoration of the 1,000th day of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
“Fortunately, it did not explode. But we want proper investigations and the true facts to be revealed,” the priest said.
A parish sacristan and three others, including a minor boy, were detained on suspicion but released by a court a month later. Later, a retired doctor was arrested but nothing came of it.
Father Chrisantha said the questionable actions of the police led by the then Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon raised suspicions among Church leaders.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith criticized the government for detaining “innocent people” in the case and even boycotted the official Independence Day celebration. He also met the sacristan while in detention.
“Sarath Weerasekera, who was the defense minister at that time, said many people would be arrested and interrogated. The Inspector General of Police said multiple teams have been deployed for the purpose of investigation. A year has passed and there are no results yet,” Father Chrisantha said.
The CCTV camera footage showed a man entering the church premises with a bag and placing it in the morning. The same man was seen conducting a recce of the spot the previous day.
“The CCTV cameras of the church were active and this person is clearly visible in the footage,” Father Chrisantha said while adding they suspect the person was acting on someone’s orders.
Father Jude Sherman Fernando, the parish priest of All Saints Church, said the bomb was designed to explode.
The priest and parish council expressed their displeasure regarding the manner in which the investigations were conducted, with innocent people being arrested even prior to viewing the full CCTV footage provided by the church.
Sujatha Fernando, a Catholic from Borella, said it was clear the government and police are trying to hide the truth.
“People cannot be fooled. The real culprits should be arrested and punished. Justice must be done,” Sunil Jayamaha, a local activist, said.
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