Senior Buddhist Monk Arrested for Alleged Child Sex Abuse in Sri Lanka

Colombo. A senior Buddhist monk has been arrested on serious charges of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in Sri Lanka. 

Palegama Hemarathana, 71, was taken into custody by the police on Saturday from a private hospital in the capital, Colombo. He was taken into custody while admitted to the hospital for treatment after a criminal investigation was initiated against him.

Hemarathana is accused of sexually exploiting the girl inside a highly revered temple in Anuradhapura in 2022. The victim girl's mother has also been arrested by the police on charges of assisting and abetting the monk in this incident. The police mentioned in a statement issued on Saturday that further legal action would be taken in this regard as per the magistrate's order.

Hemarathana, who is also banned from foreign travel, was arrested on the orders of the chief magistrate of Anuradhapura. After child protection officers complained about the delay in arresting the monk, the court directed the police to take him into custody without delay and produce him before the court. 

Although incidents of child abuse by religious leaders have been reported in Sri Lanka before, this is the first and highest-level incident of a monk of such a senior level being arrested.

Religious leaders in Sri Lanka have been involved in various controversies and crimes in recent times. Just last month, 22 monks were arrested at Colombo's international airport with 110 kg of marijuana.