Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has slammed the Sri Lanka government, accusing it of hiding the truth relating to those responsible for the Easter Sunday attack on April 21, 2019.

The Archbishop demanded that the President reveal the “grand conspiracy” theory behind the terror attack that had killed 269 people and injured over 500.

The 20-page letter to President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, signed by eight bishops, including Cardinal Ranjith, and 28 priests, demanded that legal action be taken against former President Maithripala Sirisena and ex-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for his soft approach towards Islamic terrorism.

Cardinal Ranjith further demanded that action be taken against a number of Muslim politicians and senior police officers who had failed to prevent the attack.

He told the media that Indian intelligence gave prior notice and comprehensive information about the series of attacks but its local counterparts did not act on it to prevent the tragedy on that fateful day.

“They hid all that information. By doing that, they took part in the conspiracy. They took part in this mass murder and they were part of it,” the Cardinal stated.

Cardinal Ranjith, quoting the Presidential Commission of Inquiry report, and some revelations made by the MPs in the Parliament, stated that there are many unresolved mysteries relating to the attack.

The letter to the President stated that the suicide bomber, Jameel, who tried to blow himself up at the Taj Samudra hotel in Colombo, was met by an intelligence officer of the Security Services and later the suicide bomber allegedly blew himself up at a guesthouse in the suburbs of Colombo.

The Cardinal also questioned the President as to what happened to Pulasthini Rajendran alias Sarah, the wife of Hasthun, the suicide bomber since there is evidence that she was escorted by a police officer and sent from Batticaloa in the Eastern province to Mannar, from where she travelled to India.

He demanded that the complete report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate the attack, be made available to the public.

“The report was handed over five months ago but we are truly saddened by the lethargic pace at which the state machinery is moving in order to find those who are responsible for the attack… ” the Cardinal wrote to President Rajapaksa.

The Cardinal further stated that the former Attorney General himself had specifically stated that it was a “grand conspiracy”.

“We have the right to know what was this conspiracy,” the Cardinal demanded.

…With IANS input