By

Dinouk Colombage

A week after the communal clashes that disrupted the lives of the residents in Grandpass in Colombo, an uneasy peace has settled in the area. On the streets it appears the people in the area have returned to their daily routines, but below the surface, fear and mistrust of one another is growing and threatening to once again break down the community.

Friday (16) afternoon prayers went ahead as scheduled at the Rahmaniya Jumma Mosque in Grandpass, however, a small police presence was noticeable outside the religious building. Police spokesperson, SP G.M.H.B. Siriwardana, explained that they had posted police personnel outside the mosque to ensure that the peace was maintained.

Crowds attending the Friday prayers said they were glad, they were able to return to their old mosque, but were concerned that they had to do so under police protection. “How can we be expected to pray while we have to worry about our safety,” the crowds asked.

The damaged mosque and houses have been repaired, shops are reopened, and to outsiders it would not appear as though Grandpass was the scene of violent clashes last week. However, it was only on Tuesday that many families brought their children back home.

When the clashes erupted on Saturday night, and continued through Sunday, children were sent to stay with relatives living in the suburbs of the city. M. Aasif, a father of three, said he was forced to send his two youngest daughters to live with his brother in Nugegoda, while he and his son stayed on to ensure their house was safe. “When the mosque was attacked on Saturday night our neighbours told us to stay indoors. We thought those responsible would be arrested within a few hours and that would be the end of that. Instead, everyone was agitating for a fight throughout Sunday as well. It was then that I decided to send my daughters to stay with my brother,” he said.

Aasif explained that despite the assurances given by the government that the situation had been resolved, he was not convinced that it was safe to bring his children back. “I waited till Tuesday evening to make sure the violence had ended. We needed armed soldiers (STF) on the streets to keep the calm. I did not know if it would last once they were removed,” the father said.

While fear is resonating through the residents of Grandpass, they are also furious with both the authorities and their own neighbours for having allowed the situation to deteriorate to what it had. Sarath Bandula, a resident of Grandpass, criticized the police for their ineffective handling of the situation over the weekend. “When the mosque was attacked the police should have known that there would be retaliation. But, they did nothing to prevent the backlash that we saw on Sunday,” he complained.

Yet, Bandula reserved his severest criticism for the very same people he has shared the neighbourhood with for the past 15 years. “I have built my life with these people. When groups were attacking Muslims, we condemned those acts of violence together. Now, when an outside group comes here and attacks the mosque, they turn on the very people who have supported them,” he said.

Bandula, who runs a local shop, said he now finds it difficult to trust the people around him. “My business was built around long-term customers. I used to provide provisions on store credit and in turn they would solely shop at my establishment. This past week, I have found it very difficult to interact normally with those same customers. Many of them were out on the streets on Sunday. I do not know whether they were part of the clashes, but seeing them out there has certainly dented my trust in them,” he elaborated.

SP Siriwardana insisted the police would maintain peace all over the city. “The job of the police is to ensure that we co-exist harmoniously. The incident in Grandpass was unfortunate, but the police controlled the situation well and made sure it was resolved quickly.” He added they were still investigating the incident, but could not confirm if they had identified any suspects despite CCTV footage of the incident being freely available.

Earlier in the week, the Sri Lanka Muslim Council had announced that they would be closing down the new mosque and returning to the old one after the government had rescinded the orders to demolish it.
COURTESY:CEYLON TODAY