Senior Buddhist Monk Arrested for Child Abuse in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka – (Web Desk) – Sri Lanka is in shock after a senior Buddhist monk was arrested for Sri Lanka Buddhist monk child abuse involving an 11-year-old girl. This is the most high-profile case of its kind ever recorded in the country.

The accused, 71-year-old Pallegama Hemarathana, was taken into custody at a private hospital in Colombo on Saturday. Police say the alleged abuse happened back in 2022 at a sacred temple in Anuradhapura, a city around 200 kilometres north of the capital.

Hemarathana is no ordinary clergyman. He serves as the chief priest of one of Buddhism’s most revered sites — a temple housing a tree believed to have grown from a cutting of the original Bodhi tree, under which the Buddha himself attained enlightenment over 2,500 years ago. He also oversees eight temples along a major Buddhist pilgrimage route.

A local court in Anuradhapura had already placed a foreign travel ban on the monk just one day before his arrest. Authorities say he will be produced before a judge shortly.

In a disturbing development, the victim’s own mother was also arrested. Police say she allegedly helped and supported the monk, enabling the abuse to take place.

While child abuse cases involving clergy have been reported in Sri Lanka before, none have involved a religious figure of this rank or stature.

“We will be guided by the magistrate on further action,” police said in an official statement.

The case has sent shockwaves across Sri Lanka’s Buddhist community and beyond, raising urgent questions about accountability within religious institutions.