News

Easter Sunday carnage: SJB asks Church to seek arrest warrant for suicide bomber’s wife, Sara

Published

9 months ago

2026/01/9

… asks who called for third DNA test

Top SJB spokesman Mujibur Rahuman, MP, wants the Catholic Church to exert pressure on the NPP government to have an arrest warrant issued for Pulasthini Mahendran aka Sara Jasmine, wife of Katuwapitiya suicide bomber Atchchi Muhammadu Hastun.

Colombo District lawmaker yesterday (8) told The Island that the Catholic Church should throw its weight behind the SJB’s call for an open warrant and pressure the government to ask for Interpol assistance to track down the fugitive.

She would be able to throw light on the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, the former UNPer said, urging the Catholic Church to make its position known without delay.

Alleging that Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala had been evasive in his response to a query posed to him in parliament on Wednesday regarding Easter Sunday attacks, lawmaker Rahuman asked whether the NPP was trying to cover up something.

Against the backdrop of the NPP’s declaration that Sara Jasmine is alive, the government should inquire into the circumstances the Government Analyst Department in late Sept 2023 announced that she was among those who perished in multiple blasts at Sainthamaruthu on April 26, 2019.

The Police Headquarters made the announcement on behalf of the Government Analyst’s Department that reached the conclusion after carrying out DNA tests for the third time on the tissue samples that had been obtained for the investigations by Judicial Medical Officers, Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department, and the Government Analyst’s Department.

After the change of government following the last presidential election the NPP initiated an inquiry to verify the third DNA test. MP Rahuman pointed out that the third DNA test had been quite controversial as the two previous proved that she was not among the dead at Sainthamaruthu, where the group including some family members gathered.

The CID inquiring into the third DNA test last month recorded statements from C.D. Wickremeratne who had been the IGP at that time as well as DIG CID, Prasad Ranasinghe regarding the issues at hand. Wickremaratne has said that the third test was ordered in the wake of the concerns expressed at the National Security Council (NSC) regarding Sara Jasmine’s status.

MP Rahuman stressed that right along he believed Sara Jasmine was alive and had taken refuge in India.

MP Rahuman quoted terror mastermind Zahran Hashim’s wife, Abdul Cader Fatima Hadiya, as having told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) into the Easter Sunday blasts, that she heard Jasmine’s voice, after the blasts. Those killed at Sainthamaruthu, a week later, included Zahran Hashim’s father Mohamed Hashim and his brothers Zainee and Rilwan. Rilwan is believed to have been one of those who detonated bombs. Fatima and her child survived the Sainthamaruthu blasts and remain in government custody.

Lawmaker Rahuman said that the Catholic Church’s intervention is essential to compel President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to go the whole hog. “We cannot forget that the father of two of the suicide bombers was on the JVP National List at the 2015 parliamentary election and that wife of one of the bombers blasted herself at their Dematagoda home.”

By Shamindra Ferdinando ✍️

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News

Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

15 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

15 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

15 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.