The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, has claimed that suicide fighters have infiltrated Sri Lanka’s ruling government and the National People's Power (NPP) party, in an inflammatory statement that has reignited concerns over his history of anti-Muslim rhetoric.
During a YouTube interview, the Buddhist nationalist monk alleged that extremist factions using suicide fighters were now aligned with both the NPP and the administration of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He further insisted that he possessed "evidence" to substantiate his claims and called on the president to take action against what he labelled an 'Islamic extremist group'.
Gnanasara attempted to provide "proof" of extremist infiltration, displaying a leaflet and a photograph as supposed evidence of connections between extremist groups and the NPP. He went further to allege that leaders of extremist factions are working alongside Dissanayake, although he provided no verifiable evidence to support his accusations.
He also took the opportunity to criticise Sri Lanka’s intelligence sector, claiming it was in a state of significant weakness, which, according to him, allowed for the alleged infiltration by "suicide fighters". Gnanasara also warned of a potential attack targeting Buddhists.
Gnanasara's latest comments mark yet another attempt to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment in Sri Lanka. He has been a notorious figure in Sri Lanka’s ethno-religious tensions, often inciting violence against Muslims and Tamils. His organisation, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), has played a central role in promoting Sinhala-Buddhist supremacy and has been linked to several waves of anti-Muslim violence, including the Aluthgama riots in 2014 and the Digana attacks in 2018.
Despite his track record of hate speech and incitement to violence, successive Sri Lankan governments have protected him. In 2018, he was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be granted a presidential pardon by then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa—a move widely condemned by human rights organisations.
