JOIN USA string of suicide attacks in churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday that claimed the lives of almost 300 people has shattered the fragile post-war peace in the island-nation. What makes the attacks particularly reprehensible is that most of the victims were in places of worship. They had congregated at churches on the occasion of Easter. Some 35 foreigners, including seven Indians are among the dead. Sunday’s suicide bombings are said to be the deadliest terror attack in the world since the 9/11 attacks in the US in which more than 3,000 were killed. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far. Apparently, Indian intelligence agencies had warned their Sri Lankan counterparts of an impending attack by a radical Islamist group called the National Tauheed Jamaat (NTJ). Investigators are focusing attention on the network and activities of this group. Additionally, Sri Lankan security agencies must investigate why the alert was not acted upon.
Sri Lanka is not new to violence or terrorism, having experienced a brutal, three-decade long civil war. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam carried out several horrific suicide attacks in the island. These ceased with the decimation of the LTTE in 2009. However, in the decade since, Sri Lanka has seen a surge in Buddhist extremism. Buddhist radical groups have been unleashing hate rhetoric and violence on Muslims, their businesses, places of worship and way of life, pushing Lankan Muslims, in turn, to radical ideas and methods to fight back. According to Lankan authorities, several Muslim youths left the country to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It is likely that some of these youth returned home highly radicalised and angry with western countries and the Christian faith and carried out the Easter attacks on places frequented by foreigners.
India should support Sri Lanka’s investigation into the terror attacks. Radical outfits like the NTJ are believed to have ties with the Tauheed Jamaat in Tamil Nadu and even the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). As Sri Lanka begins a crackdown on suspected militants, some of them can be expected to flee to Tamil Nadu. India must tighten security along the Tamil Nadu coast. The region can expect more attacks like those witnessed on Sunday as youth who fought alongside the ISIS return home. While Sri Lanka must arrest those responsible for the Easter bombings and crackdown on radical groups, the island’s police must guard against going overboard and tarring all Muslim youth with the same brush and indiscriminately arresting those who are not militant in their views and actions, a common but counter-productive phenomenon after such attacks. Doing so will only push more of them to take up arms.