A planned briefing by former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Chief Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena for Members of Parliament regarding the Easter Sunday terror attacks was canceled due to protests by Opposition members at the parliamentary complex.
Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP, Lakshman Kiriella, vehemently opposed the government’s decision to have police officers, who were responsible for not taking preventive action during the Easter Sunday terror attacks, provide instructions to MPs about the ongoing investigations into the incidents.
The Chief Opposition Whip voiced his strong objection when the Speaker announced a meeting scheduled at 2.30 pm in Committee Room I of Parliament, where officials from the Ministry of Public Security, along with senior police investigators, were set to brief MPs on the progress of the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks.
Kiriella questioned how MPs could attend a meeting led by individuals who had failed to prevent the tragic events of Easter Sunday. He stated, “The Presidential Commission of Inquiry has recommended criminal proceedings against former SIS Chief Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena over the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Now, he is coming here to brief us about the investigations into the same matter. What is the logic behind this?”
In response, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena clarified that he was merely conveying an announcement.
Chief Government Whip Minister Prasanna Ranatunga chimed in, saying that the notice did not mention the police coming to provide instructions. He encouraged MPs to attend the meeting to discover the truth instead of making misleading statements without full knowledge.
Kiriella contended that the meeting was not aimed at revealing the truth but rather concealing it.
The meeting ultimately took place as scheduled, with Senior DIG Jayawardena replaced by head of the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division SSP Prasanna Alwis and some CID officials conducting the sessions, according to sources within Parliament.