Sri Lanka Sacks Senior Police Officer Over 2019 Easter Bombings

Sri Lanka has dismissed Senior Deputy Inspector-General Nilantha Jayawardena, former head of the State Intelligence Service, following a disciplinary inquiry that found him guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty in failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. These coordinated suicide attacks, blamed on a local Islamist extremist group linked to ISIS, killed 279 people and wounded over 500. Jayawardena was alerted to potential terror threats 17 days before the attacks but failed to act, leading to his initial removal from the SIS and later compulsory leave pending investigation. The National Police Commission imposed the maximum punishment, including a substantial fine to compensate victims, making him the most senior police officer held accountable for the tragedy. Earlier investigations and a Supreme Court ruling also found then-President Maithripala Sirisena and other senior officials liable, ordering them to pay damages for violating victims' fundamental rights. Sri Lanka's new government under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has pledged to intensify efforts to investigate the attacks and hold responsible parties accountable.