Is Kassapa Thero, who was granted bail after being beaten until bleeding in prison, speaking a lie without evidence?

Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero, who was released on bail after being held in remand custody for twenty-nine days, made several serious allegations against the government, the police, and prison officials during a press conference held at the Colombo Buddhist Federation. He stated that he, along with four other ordained monks and a total of ten people, were arrested in connection with an incident involving the construction of a cover for a Buddha statue in Trincomalee, and that the police assaulted his group until their robes came off.

Venerable Kassapa Thero, stating that he even had to be hospitalized due to these assaults, further mentioned at the press conference that a high-ranking official at the prison also threatened him after he was incarcerated.

Explaining the facts regarding this incident, His Reverence pointed out that when the construction began, the OIC of the Trincomalee Port Police and the Assistant Superintendent of Police (SSP) both arrived and obstructed it, stating that there was a complaint from the Coast Conservation Authority. Venerable Kassapa Thero states that he informed them to bring a court order if they wanted to demolish it, and although one MP later came and told them to continue the construction, another MP arrived with the Assistant Superintendent of Police in the evening and pressured them to stop it immediately. However, he alleges that at night, about two hundred police officers, including the riot control unit, arrived, cut the wire fence of the temple, entered, took away the Buddha statue, broke the parasol, and assaulted both Venerable Sukhithawansa Thero and himself. He emphasized in his press conference that even though the treasurer of the Dayaka Sabha (lay devotees' council) offered fifty thousand rupees at that time, pleading to stop the assault, the police did not listen, and after being hospitalized, a powerful government figure called him to try and settle the matter, but he did not betray that struggle.

An analysis of the responses published on social media, especially through Facebook, regarding this news clearly shows that the vast majority of people are highly distrustful and displeased with Venerable Kassapa Thero's statement. Many have commented, accusing him of violating the Buddhist precept of Musavada, or lying. In particular, the statement claiming that he was assaulted until he bled and his robes came off has been severely criticized, with their main argument being that if such a severe assault had occurred, no related injury marks or changes were visible to the media. Some users have even sarcastically suggested that the person behind him covering his face is doing so because he cannot bear the false statements made by the Venerable Thero.

Furthermore, several users who commented questioned why these assaults and threats were not legally reported to the court. Many have opined that by not obtaining medical reports and presenting them to the court, but instead merely coming before the media and issuing statements, there is a hidden agenda to incite racism and religious extremism to gain political or other personal advantages. Some comments suggest that this was a performance staged to protect a shop or a business establishment.

Another point further implied by these responses is that today's society is not ready to accept any statement as absolute truth merely because it comes from someone wearing a robe. The majority of people, who claim to respect the true Buddhist philosophy and the virtuous Maha Sangha, have expressed their deep regret and anger over the discredit brought upon the entire Buddha Sasana through such incidents. It is clearly evident from these anonymous social media responses that the public is urging the government and authorities to take legal action against individuals who mislead society by hiding behind the robe, and to conduct a separate investigation into them.