The Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court issued a warrant yesterday (15) for the arrest of Ampitiye Sumana Thera after he failed to appear for the case filed against him under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act for allegedly inciting racial hatred.

When the case was taken up yesterday, the Court noted that the Batticaloa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) had been summoned to explain the failure to arrest Sumana Thera. However, a Batticaloa Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) appeared on behalf of the SSP and informed the Magistrate that the Thera is currently missing.

Due to the nature of the charges under the ICCPR Act, the case is scheduled to be taken up at the Batticaloa High Court tomorrow (17).

During the previous hearing on 8 December (Case No. 1152), the complainant, Attorney-at-Law Dhanuka Rananjaka Kahandagamage, officially recorded his statement before the Magistrate. At that time, Police informed the court that the accused Ampitiye Sumana Thera was not present and was reportedly hiding in a village. This led the Magistrate to issue the order summoning the Batticaloa SSP to appear yesterday (15).

The case stems from a complaint lodged by Kahandagamage on 23 October 2023. The Attorney General (AG) had previously instructed the Police to arrest Ampitiye Sumana Thera in connection with the incident.

According to Kahandagamage, the AG issued this directive after a controversial video clip—purportedly showing the Thera—was examined by the Government Analyst.

The complaint cites a statement made by Sumana Thera in Batticaloa, where he allegedly made aggressive remarks against the Tamil community in the presence of police officers, threatening that “every Tamil person living in the South will be cut and killed”.