Balangoda Kassapa Thero, a buddhist supremist political figure in Sri Lanka
A Sinhala Buddhist monk accused of sexually harassing a minor in Navatkuli, Jaffna, has been released on bail, raising serious concerns over accountability in a case involving a child. Beyond a condition requiring him to vacate the temple premises, no immediate consequences appear to have been imposed, prompting alarm over the handling of allegations of abuse.
The monk, attached to the Samiddhi Sumana Viharaya in Navatkuli, was arrested in late March after a pre-teen girl reported that he had sexually harassed her while she was visiting the temple to collect drinking water. He was subsequently produced before the Chavakachcheri Magistrate and remanded, before being released under court order.
In the days following his arrest, sections of the Buddhist clergy moved swiftly to dismiss the allegations, instead framing the case as a politically orchestrated attack. Speaking at a press conference in Colombo on April 20, Balangoda Kassapa Thero claimed that the accusations formed part of a conspiracy involving Tamil political actors, including affiliates of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and aides to former parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran. No evidence has been presented to substantiate these claims.
Kassapa Thero further asserted that the monk had merely advised a young female visitor on “religiously appropriate” attire within temple grounds, suggesting that the complaint was fabricated. He characterised the monk’s removal from the temple as part of a broader effort to displace Buddhist clergy from the North.
The case has brought renewed focus to longstanding structural issues in Navatkuli, an area which has seen tensions over Sinhalisation and landgrabs for many years in the post-war. Tamil residents have long reported limited access to clean groundwater, forcing many to rely on water sources situated within or adjacent to state-backed Buddhist sites. In this instance, the minor had reportedly gone to collect filtered drinking water for her household.
Kassapa Thero went on to call for a strengthening of Buddhism in the North and East, arguing that these Tamil regions require a greater “Buddhist awakening” than the Sinhala South. He further alleged that efforts were underway to transform these areas into ethnically exclusive zones and warned of protests by the Maha Sangha if the monk is not reinstated within two weeks.
His remarks also extended to regional geopolitics, warning that India’s growing involvement in the Eastern Province, particularly around Trincomalee, alongside proposed connectivity projects, poses a threat to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
Kassapa Thero himself is no stranger to controversy. A prominent figure associated with hardline Buddhist nationalist movements, he was among a group of monks arrested earlier this year over attempts to install a Buddha statue in a protected coastal zone in Trincomalee. The move was widely criticised as part of a pattern in which contested land is first occupied and subsequently sacralised to assert permanence.