A video which purportedly shows a Sinhala Buddhist monk physically assaulting a Christian man in Batticaloa has been shared thousands of times on social media.
The monk, identified as Ampitiye Sumanarathana, is seen slapping the man whilst Sri Lankan police officers watch on. He then goes on to criticise the Sri Lankan police officer for failing to stop the Christian man from doing missionary work in the area.
In another video that also spread across social media platforms, the same monk is seen stopping a Catholic priest who is riding a motorbike and then proceeding to verbally abuse him.
In 2016, the same monk threatened to kill a Tamil government official in Batticaloa, call him a "Tamil dog”, whilst a Sri Lankan police officer stood by watching events unfold.