Ravi Mishra : Source of Critical Easter Attacks Intelligence?

COLOMBO (News 1st); An activist advocating for justice over the 2019 Easter Sunday Terror Attacks claimed that an individual attached to the Indian High Commission in Colombo in 2019, was the source of the first piece of information given to Sri Lanka regarding the terror attacks.

Shehan Malaka, the activist claimed that on April 4, 2019, Nilantha Jayawardena, the then Director of State Intelligence and Deputy Inspector General of Police, received crucial intelligence from India about a potential bomb attack. Despite relentless efforts by local and international investigators over five years, the source of this specific information remained unidentified.

Today, he disclosed the identity of the intelligence source.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ravi Mishra, an officer with the Indian High Commission and attached to RAW in Sri Lanka, was the first to inform Nilantha Jayawardena about the imminent threat on April 4th, 2019," he said.

He claimed that if Lieutenant Colonel Ravi Mishra is questioned about how he obtained the precise details, including dates and names, it could unravel the entire story and conspiracy.

His role as an officer attached to RAW and the Indian High Commission, and accountable to the Indian government, makes this information highly significant.

He claimed that three days after the intelligence was shared with Jayawardena, India's Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra, along with the chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, arrived in Sri Lanka. The timing of their visit raises questions, he claimed, especially given that India had just disclosed information about the potential attacks.

He added that on the 8th of April 2019, a joint defence meeting took place between Sri Lankan and Indian security officials, including the military chiefs. Given the serious nature of the intelligence, he said that one would expect the primary agenda of this meeting to be the discussion of the terror threat.

"Ravi Mishra and Nilantha Jayawardena, the key figures in delivering and receiving the intelligence, were both present at the April 8th meeting. It is crucial to question why this critical information was not discussed during the meeting between the two countries' top security officials," he noted.

Shehan Malaka noted that it is essential for Sri Lanka to ask if the Indian government has conducted any investigation regarding Ravi Mishra.

"If not, the Sri Lankan government should request an inquiry. Lieutenant Colonel Ravi Mishra likely had connections with all the key officials in the defence sectors and political leaders of the country. We need to ascertain whether he provided this information solely to Nilantha Jayawardena," he added.