New Delhi, February 27 – The arrest of Sri Lanka’s former Intelligence chief, retired Major-General Suresh Sallay, is a turning point in the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people.
This move was a bold one taken by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who won the presidency in 2024.
He had promised that all those involved in the attack would be brought to justice.
Sallay was appointed head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became President.
The allegation against Sallay was that he had allowed the attack to take place with the intention of influencing the 2019 presidential election, which was eventually won by Rajapaksa.
Sallay had become a prominent figure in Sri Lanka and was widely credited with dismantling the LTTE. His arrest has led to a political storm, and many believe it could revive tensions related to the LTTE.
Ali Sabry, former Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that the developments are deeply troubling.
An Indian official said that the developments in Sri Lanka are being closely monitored.
When asked whether the LTTE issue would come back into the picture following Sallay's arrest, the official said that attempts are being made, but it would be very difficult.
There have been several cases that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been investigating concerning the revival of the LTTE.
The ISI has also tried to ensure the revival of the LTTE, but has not been successful so far.
To prevent the revival of the LTTE, both India and Sri Lanka have been working closely.
Another official explained that the current ties with Sri Lanka have evolved from ideological to an investment-led partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Dissanayake share a pragmatic relationship, and this has been instrumental in ensuring cooperation in all fields, including security, the official explained.
While some in Sri Lanka do not agree with Dissanayake's decision regarding Sallay, the fact remains that the Easter Bombing case needs to be investigated from every possible angle.
An Intelligence Bureau official says that a major concern today are the activities of the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI), the two groups responsible for this attack.
The NTJ, in particular, has a strong presence in South India and has managed to radicalize a large number of youth in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Mohammad Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the attack, was a frequent visitor to Tamil Nadu. He was also responsible for the radicalization of Jamesha Mubeen, who attempted unsuccessfully to bomb a temple in Coimbatore in 2022.
Indian agencies have been actively pursuing Hashim's role. An NIA investigation into the radicalization case in South India revealed that Hashim was running the entire plot from Sri Lanka.
At least 50 of the 100 radicalization videos seized by the agency were speeches by Hashim, who had close links with the Islamic State.
Officials say that Sallay could provide details to investigators about the module that Hashim ran.
This would be helpful for Indian agencies who are investigating cases directly linked to the NTJ in South India.
Hashim, who was the ringleader for the suicide bombers during the Easter Bombing, had spent a considerable amount of time in India.
Indian agencies would want to know if any of the locals that Hashim interacted with had any knowledge about the Easter Bombings.
While in India, Hashim focused his radicalization programs mainly on Mallapuram, Coimbatore, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari, Ramnathpuram, Vellore, Trichy, and Thirunelveli, the NIA investigation found.
Sallay has, for now, denied any involvement in the Easter Bombings.
Indian officials say that they do not want to comment on Sallay and his alleged links.
However, it is important to thoroughly investigate the bombings, as the activities of the NTJ have a direct bearing on India, particularly the southern states, the official also added.
