Sri Lanka Fires Top Cop Over Easter Sunday Terror Failures
Senior police officer sacked for negligence in 2019 Easter bombings.
Sri Lanka’s National Police Commission (NPC) has dismissed Nilantha Jayawardena, a senior deputy inspector general of police, following a disciplinary inquiry into his role in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. The decision, announced after a July 17 NPC meeting, marks Jayawardena as the highest-ranking officer held accountable for the tragedy that claimed 270 lives, including 11 Indians.
Jayawardena, former head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), was placed on compulsory leave in July 2024 pending investigation. The NPC found him guilty on all counts in the chargesheet, citing negligence that contributed to the attacks by the ISIS-linked National Thawheed Jamaat, which targeted three churches and three luxury hotels. He was fined 75 million rupees as compensation to victims.
In 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled that Jayawardena, former President Maithripala Sirisena, and other officials violated victims’ rights by failing to act on prior intelligence. Sirisena was ordered to pay 100 million rupees to victims’ families. The attacks, which sparked political controversy, saw accusations against the Rajapaksa family for exploiting the tragedy to regain power.
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The Catholic Church, dissatisfied with local investigations, has demanded international probes to deliver justice. The NPC’s ruling underscores ongoing efforts to address accountability for one of Sri Lanka’s deadliest terror attacks.
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