Catholic Church in Sri Lanka calls for investigation after police allegedly assaulted Father Milan Priyadarshana in public near Colombo.
Newsroom (27/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged assault of a Catholic priest by four police officers on a public road north of Colombo, a case that has triggered outrage among clergy, lawmakers, and rights advocates.
Father Milan Priyadarshana, a priest from the Archdiocese of Colombo, was allegedly beaten by policemen on the evening of Jan. 24 near Negombo, a city about 35 kilometers from the capital. According to the Church’s national director of mass communication, Father Jude Krishantha, the officers verbally abused and physically attacked the priest, kicking him and hitting him with shoes and helmets.
Krishantha, who visited the injured priest in hospital, told reporters that the attackers were aware of Priyadarshana’s identity as a priest because he was dressed in a cassock. “They even told him, ‘You people are the ones who are destroying this country with your cassocks and robes,’” Krishantha said on Jan. 25.
Photographs reportedly show the cassock bearing the marks of the violent assault, with visible imprints from shoes. Several eyewitnesses have offered to testify in court, adding urgency to the Church’s call for legal action. “We want the authorities to investigate and punish the culprits,” Krishantha stated, emphasizing that the incident was not only an assault on a priest but also an attack on the broader principle of religious respect.
Following the beating, the police allegedly attempted to question Father Priyadarshana about a supposed traffic accident and even tried to fine him for reckless driving. When the priest denied involvement, the officers checked his driver’s license and then ordered him to leave, Krishantha added.
The priest was admitted to a hospital in Negombo with visible bruises and is expected to remain under medical supervision for several more days. He has since received visits from Bishop Maxwell Silva, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo, as well as several priests, activists, and lawmakers who have spoken publicly in his defense.
Among them was Minister of Science and Technology Krishantha Abeysena, who condemned the attack as a “shameful and unacceptable act by the police.” He lamented what he described as an emerging culture of disrespect toward religious figures in Sri Lanka, including Catholic priests and bishops.
“It is deeply regrettable that the police, who are entrusted with maintaining order and security, have acted in such a disgraceful manner,” Abeysena said. “The priest will need to stay in hospital for several more days to recover fully.”
Social activist Nalin Mallawarchchi echoed that sentiment, criticizing politicians’ growing tendency to speak dismissively of religious leaders. “Over the past few years, politicians have failed to show respect for religious leadership, setting a dangerous precedent,” he said. “It is extremely shameful for the police to attack a man of the cloth in public.”
Opposition lawmaker Kavinda Jayawardena, himself a Catholic, called on the government to “deliver justice to the priest,” noting that the assault was even more alarming because Father Priyadarshana’s clerical status was clearly visible.
The Church’s demand for justice carries weight not only because of the brutality of the recent incident but also because it evokes a troubling pattern of violence against clergy in Sri Lanka. The country has witnessed assaults—and even killings—of Catholic priests in the past, with no perpetrators brought to justice.
In 2001, Father Alfred Bernard Costa was murdered at his mission house in the Colombo Archdiocese, while in 1990, Father Srilal Amarathunga was killed under similar circumstances. Two decades later, those cases remain unsolved, fueling frustration over repeated failures of accountability.
As Sri Lanka grapples with questions of law enforcement reform, public trust, and religious tolerance, the beating of Father Priyadarshana has reopened painful memories and raised urgent moral and political questions. The Catholic Church’s call for a full investigation may renew pressure on authorities to confront a longstanding culture of impunity—one that has too often blurred the line between power and justice.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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