Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila, during a televised interview on Wednesday night, challenged Cabinet spokesman Minister Vijitha Herath to substantiate the allegations the latter had made against former High Court Judge Adambarage Nilanthi Jayaki de Alwis, who chaired a presidential committee of inquiry tasked with investigating and finding out whether the police and the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had failed to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks.

Gammanpila also accused the JVP of being a violent party, claiming that it would seek revenge on him after next month’s general election.

Last week, Gammanpila said the Alwis Committee, appointed by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, had recommended legal action against retired Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) Ravi Seneviratne and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekara for not taking sufficient action to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks.

Minister Herath responded on Tuesday, asserting that the former President had appointed the committee just three days after Seneviratne and Abeysekara had declared their support for the National People’s Power (NPP). He suggested that the appointment of the committee was politically motivated.

Herath criticised the background of former Kegalle High Court Judge Alwis, who retired in September 2023.

In response, Gammanpila pointed out that the NPP had not opposed the formation of the Alwis Committee in June 2024. He issued a challenge to Minister Herath, giving him seven days to provide proof that Jayaki de Alwis had been found guilty of any irregularities.