Questions rising from Janahanda interview with former CID Chief RaviS

• Was the interviewee evading accountability?
• Was the interviewer asking questions based on reading Commission Reports & ability to identify falsehoods & half-truths?
• Were the questions centred on the notions spread via social media?
• Can a tv show with an interviewer asking weak questions enabling the interviewee to evade accountability & pass the buck be conclusive?

Who is Ravi Seneviratne?

The most senior public official handling investigations when Sri Lanka’s largest mass murder took place & is both responsible & accountable for actions & statements.

RaviS claims CID takes over only after a crime is committed. If so, when 11 acts of violence was committed by Zaharan & Co since 2016 – what were the actions taken by CID? If proper action had been taken, would Easter Sunday have taken place?

What exactly is the role of the CID?

Is it simply following up on an incident AFTER it occurs as RaviS claims?

Isn’t CID meant to function in a larger role?

The police is there to file on a single incident – the entities above the police are tasked to do far more.

CID & President Sirisena

Who advised President Sirisena to order (at the National Security Council – Dec2018) all data collected by intelligence agencies to be given to the CID & what was the purpose?

This order resulted in all intel data centrally available only with the CID. Pursuant to the verbal order the State Intelligence Service as well as the Army Intelligence Division sent all their intelligence reports to Ravi Seneviratne. If CID had all data available why did they not investigate & take action. How many reports were sent? How many reports had files opened. How many files were investigated? How many files had actions taken against them?

In short, RaviS needs to explain actions taken against Zaharan & co after intel reports given prior to acts of violence & what actions CID took after the acts of violence were committed by Zaharan & Co.

Following the instructions of President Sirisena in Dec2018 – CID was the sole authority handling all reports handed to them by intel – this makes CID the direct party to be held accountable for lack of action.

CID & Islamic Caliphate

Was CID aware of the quest to form an Islamic State or the Caliphate?

If so CID should have known that on 29 June 2014, ISIS had declared its Caliphate to be in Asia by leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi who made 3 demands:

Those indoctrinated were followers of the 3.

1. Inviting to join fight to create Islamic State
2. To kill kafirs (non-believers) especially westerners, Catholics & those who worship idols
3. Those unable to fight, to support Islamic State from their countries of residence

Yet, Ravi S claims none of those linked to Easter Sunday was involved with ISIS but were only inspired by ISIS ideology. Indeed this is a fine line. The brains behind the Easter Sunday attacks was Naufer Maulavi (which FBI has confirmed)

CID & Supreme Court

RaviS claims that the Commissions or Supreme Court investigating the Easter Sunday attack had not made any charges against the CID. Is this not because it was the same CID officers who were the one’s referring reports in their possession to the Commissions. Did they not decide what was to be sent & what was not – how many files were actually referred. Were these shortcomings the reason to pluck conspiracy theories & political conspiracies?

Is this also why an innocent police officer (IP AbuBakr) continues to languish in prison for over 3 years without salary to maintain his family?

Vavunativu Incident

After 2 policemen were killed in Vavunativu 30 Nov 2018

President Sirisena had issued part of an intelligence report after his verbal order to hand all intel data to the CID for further investigations.

RaviS claims that CID discovered the murder of 2 policemen was by Zaharan & Co only AFTER Easter Sunday. How truthful is this statement?

Military intel had given CID a report on 12 April 2019 that the attack was by Zaharan but media reports covered this only after the Easter Sunday attacks.

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/190428/news/three-men-in-custody-over-last-years-killing-of-2-policemen-in-vavunathivu-says-cid-347258.html

 

Discovery of explosives:

• Was military intel at the site of the explosives when CID team arrived? What is so suspicious about this when they had already provided intel to CID?
• Why did CID request the intel teams not interfere in their investigations & leave site & not work in cooperation with them?

 

Did Zaharan’s wife meet a lawyer in Puttalam?

What evidence does RaviS have to claim the lawyer did not have anything to do with Easter Sunday – where are the reports on this lawyer to prove him not involved & clear his name?

• Who is this lawyer?
• What is his organization?
• How come 4 out of 7 suicide bombers were working for this lawyer?
• Just because the lawyer is on bail due to local/international pressures, does it declare him innocent?
• If the lawyer had nothing to do with these 4 members of his staff who became suicide bombers, why did he meet Zaharan’s wife? Zaharan’s wife Hadiya even claims she heard this lawyer speaking with her husband. It may be a he said/she said scenario but both will have to prove their stories.

CID & Zaharan

RaviS mentions in the interview that CID obtained international warrant to arrest Zaharan. This is a new disclosure. Was this international warrant notice informed to the Commissions, if not – why?

Let’s keep to facts: CID informed of targets 11 days before attack

• On 9 April 2019 State Intelligence Service report clearly stated that Zaharan & associates were to launch suicide attacks targeting churches & hotels.
• This means CID was informed the targets & the modus operandi of the attacks as well as by whom. What did CID & RaviS do after receiving intel reports on 9 April 2019 (11 days before the attacks)
• This shows the intel agencies did not neglect their duty & is a tool being used as cover up & to bring international investigators.
• Sri Lanka’s intel, not India provided the news of impending attacks – this is not the notion being promoted by media. The media of Sri Lanka must desist from sensationalizing national security news and creating dramas as well as upsetting the victims/families as a result. When media absconds its main duty, those who are guilty make use of the drama to hide their shortcomings. The media even claimed the Supreme Court ordered intelligence agencies not to investigate Zaharan – which is a complete fabrication.

Let’s simply keep to facts – before the Easter Sunday attacks.

• Zaharan was shadowed by intel and his progress towards extremism after 2015 was noted & conveyed – was action taken or not?
• Intel agencies had to give all intel to CID from Dec2018 after orders from President Sirisena – this meant only CID had all intel data
• 11 acts of violence by Zaharan from 2017-2019 was reported by intel to CID
• CID took no action against Zaharan – why?
• 9 April 2019 intel informs CID of suicide attacks to churches & hotels – why no action was taken? – this is the most crucial piece of information & everything should centre around this inaction, which could have prevented deaths of the 269 who died.
• CID head confirms receipt of SMS sent by SIS head on 20 April 2019 (day before Easter Sunday attacks) – what was told on 9^th April was again reminded on 20^th April, why did CID not take action?
• None of the Commissions/Committees have questioned the then CID head RaviS regarding these 2 major blunders.
• SIS head Nilantha Jayawardena claimed that at least 15000 knew – majority who knew said “I knew but did not think it would end up like this” (Hemasiri Fernando former Def Sec/ “father told me not to go to Church” (Cabinet Minister) / Cardinal decides to hold mass at his residence on Easter Sunday instead of Church– is this the case with all 15,000 who saved their necks but didn’t think of even putting a facebook post to ask people not to visit churches or hotels on Easter Sunday! All those who knew are just as complicit as the murderers.

Let’s look at the ‘Ifs”

• If CID had taken action on the 11 acts of violence including killings by Zaharan in 2017/2018 – Zaharan would not have indoctrinated 6 others to become suicide bombers & 269 lives would have been saved.
• If CID had taken action after receiving intel on 9^th April 2019 naming targeted venues – 269 lives would have been saved.
• If CID had taken action after receiving intel on 20^th April 2019 (day before Easter Sunday attacks) – 269 lives would have been saved.
• If those who knew about an attack had been a bit unselfish & made some public warnings (especially those who are 24×7 on social media) 269 innocent lives would have been saved.(it is these ones who knew but didn’t do anything who want to somehow pass the blame to clear their guilty conscience)

There is no requirement for international investigations – clearly, intel was available, action was not taken to prevent the attacks. All other trimmings are just sensationalisms linked to conspiracy theories for personal/political advantage with media encouraging these, it will only end up in these murderers planning another attack because they are well aware of the psyche of the people and how people’s mind can be manipulated away from those who really should be held to account. The wahhabi attack on traditional Muslims in Weligama is a sign of whats to come unless authorities tasked to do their job do so sans politics & politicians & foreign funded local mouthpieces should stay out of interfering into internal set ups with goal to sidetrack investigations.

Shenali D Waduge