By Roy Denish.
Easter Sunday attacks investigation widens with the arrest of SIS officer Ranjan Senaratne Bandara amid fresh allegations in court.
The investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka has intensified with the arrest of Ranjan Senaratne Bandara, the Officer-in-Charge of the ‘Q’ Division of the State Intelligence Service (SIS). Bandara, who formerly managed the agency’s extremist desk, was detained after prosecutors raised serious allegations regarding the handling of intelligence prior to the attacks.
During proceedings at the Fort Magistrate’s Court, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris secured a travel ban against Bandara before his arrest, presenting new details about how threat-related intelligence had been processed. Prosecutors alleged that Bandara had previously provided a list of 94 suspected extremists — including attack ringleader Zahran Hashim and his brother Rilwan — to then-SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena, although investigators are now examining whether sufficient action was taken.
The prosecution further alleged that a faction within Military Intelligence had protected Zahran and failed to share critical warnings with other security agencies.
The court proceedings also ignited a fierce debate over the continued hospitalisation of retired Major General Suresh Sallay. ASG Peiris accused the Director of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka of conspiring with medical staff to facilitate Sallay’s extended hospital stay, characterising the arrangement as resembling a vacation, with home-cooked meals, daily family visits and weekly access to lawyers, which he argued was hampering the ongoing investigation.
Because the hospital director failed to submit a court-ordered medical report on time, the Fort Magistrate ordered the director to appear in court on September 22 to explain the delay.
Meanwhile, the defence strongly rejected any suggestion of collusion with medical personnel, maintained that allegations contained in police B-reports do not constitute established facts, and challenged the prosecution to produce credible, admissible evidence rather than rely on what it described as unverified conjecture.
Legal proceedings are scheduled to resume on September 22, when the court is expected to review the overdue medical reports and consider further developments in the expanded investigation.
