By Rathindra Kuruwita

Leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Udaya Gammanpila, yesterday (14) called on the government to release two unpublished committee reports on the Easter Sunday attacks within a week.

Gammapila warned that should the government fail to release the reports, he would publish them online.

“None of these reports are incomplete, and none have gone missing,” he stated.

Gammanpila explained that part of the report by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Easter Carnage had not been presented to Parliament in keeping with a COI recommendation.

“Opposition parties and the Catholic Church insisted that the withheld section contained details on the mastermind behind the attacks. Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe then allowed the Catholic Church to peruse the report,” Gammanpila said.

Gammanpila noted that the Catholic Church was now referring to the unpublished reports prepared by two probe committees headed by I.M. Imam and A.N.J. de Alwis.

In June 2023, Wickremesinghe established a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the actions and responses of the intelligence and security services.

Retired Judge A.N.J. de Alwis was tasked with investigating the conduct of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), the Chief of National Intelligence (CNI), and other relevant authorities.

At the time of the Easter Sunday attacks, Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena led the SIS, while retired DIG Sisira Mendis served as the CNI, a role previously held by intelligence veteran General Kapila Hendawitharana.

In September, Wickremesinghe appointed a three-member committee to investigate allegations made by Britain’s Channel 4 regarding the alleged involvement of military intelligence in the Easter Sunday attacks. The President’s announcement followed a denial issued by the Ministry of Defence on behalf of the government.

The Committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge Syed Ishrat Imam, also included retired Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, a former Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), and President’s Counsel Harsha Soza. Senior Assistant Secretary to the President Sarthanjali Maheswaran served as the Commission’s Secretary.

“I am calling on the government to release these two reports. If you do not do so within a week, we will publish them ourselves,” Gammanpila said.