Sri Lanka Terror Attacks - How The Government Failed To Act On Intelligence

For India, the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka pose a security as well as diplomatic nightmare.

- Mandira Nayar & Namrata Biji Ahuja

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in Brunei when she was told about the death of her cousin’s grandson in the Sri Lankan terror attacks on April 21. Eight-year old Zayan Choudhury was at breakfast with his father in one of the hotels targeted by terrorists. Zayan was among the 38 foreign nationals killed in the attacks.

For Hasina, the Sri Lankan bombings went way beyond personal loss. It was eerily similar to the 2016 terrorist attacks that devastated Bangladesh. The perpetrators in both cases were well educated and came from financially sound upper-middle-class families. Looking at the alarming similarities, analysts in India feel that New Delhi, too, should be on guard. “There is a lot of affinity between Sri Lanka and southern states like Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu,” said Arun Choudhary, former special director in the Intelligence Bureau. “The fact that Islamic State has displayed that it is not [geographically limited] and [that it] resonates with local outfits is a matter of worry.’’