Yesterday, Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith urged the Public Security Minister to conduct an impartial and credible investigation into the Easter Sunday massacre. “The Public Security Minister is now saying that 99 percent of the investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks has been completed. Is the minister holding responsibility for the hundreds of people who died in the Easter Sunday attacks”, the Colombo Archbishop queried. He said that the Catholic Church will only accept an impartial investigation conducted by an independent group. “They have gone and met two or three bishops and are now saying that we did not participate in the discussion”, he said.
“This is Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, and I am not a man who bows down to you or does anything you want, stated Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.
He was speaking after blessing the 12 apostle statues erected at the St. Sebastian Church in Katuwapitiya yesterday.
The Colombo Archbishop said that the people in the country are still unaware of those who were actually behind the Easter Sunday attacks. He added that they can suspect three groups of people. They were Islamic extremists who propagated extremist ideals in society. They created the environment for such attacks by misleading the Muslim brothers. The other group is made up of those who are in charge of the security agencies in the country. All those, from the former president to the ordinary officers of security agencies, should be held responsible for the attacks.
He alleged that the former president and the intelligence services did not take any action to prevent these attacks. “The Indian intelligence agencies had been informed of an imminent attack, but no action was taken by them “, he said. “The former President did not show any interest in strengthening national security, and he did not hold Security Council meetings. He was just enjoying the privileges and perks of his position,, the Cardinal said. The Colombo Archbishop added that those who belong to the second group should be responsible for the carnage on Easter Sunday. He said that the Catholic Church has been receiving information about a third group that is allegedly involved in the Easter Sunday conspiracy. They are the group who were allegedly aiding and abetting those involved in the carnage”, he said. The Archbishop said that 25 people, including a Moulavi, have been indicted on 23,000 charges over the Easter Sunday attack to deceive the people and the country. He urged the Public Security Minister to conduct an impartial and credible investigation into this incident.
