COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities on Saturday arrested a senior Buddhist monk over allegations of sexually abusing an underage girl, in what officials describe as the country’s highest-profile case involving a member of the clergy.
Police said 71-year-old Pallegama Hemarathana was taken into custody at a private hospital in Colombo, where he had reportedly sought medical treatment while investigators pursued allegations linked to the abuse of an 11-year-old girl in 2022.
According to authorities, the alleged incident took place at a prominent Buddhist temple in Anuradhapura, nearly 200 kilometres north of the capital, where Hemarathana serves as chief priest.
“We will be guided by the magistrate on further action,” police said in an official statement, adding that the monk would be produced before a court in the coming days.
Investigators also arrested the victim’s mother on charges of allegedly aiding and abetting the suspect.
The arrest came a day after a court in Anuradhapura imposed a foreign travel ban on the monk as part of the ongoing investigation.
Hemarathana is regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s most influential Buddhist clerics. He serves as the chief custodian of a sacred tree believed to have originated from a sapling of the Bodhi tree in India under which Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago.
He also oversees eight major temples located along a key Buddhist pilgrimage route.
Sri Lanka has witnessed several allegations of child abuse involving religious figures in recent years, but officials say the latest case involves the most senior Buddhist monk to face such accusations.