COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities on Saturday arrested senior Buddhist monk Pallegama Hemarathana over allegations of sexually abusing an underage girl, police said, in what is being described as the highest-profile case involving a member of the clergy in the country.
The 71-year-old monk was taken into custody at a private hospital in the capital, Colombo, where he had reportedly sought medical treatment during the weekend while authorities investigated allegations linked to the abuse of an 11-year-old girl in 2022.
According to police, the alleged incident took place at a highly revered temple in Anuradhapura, located around 200 kilometres north of Colombo. Hemarathana serves as the chief priest of the temple.
“We will be guided by the magistrate on further action,” police said in a statement issued on Saturday, adding that the monk would soon be produced before a court.
Authorities also stated that the victim’s mother had been arrested on allegations of aiding and abetting the monk.
The arrest came a day after a court in Anuradhapura imposed a foreign travel ban on Hemarathana as part of the ongoing investigation.
Sri Lanka has witnessed several cases involving allegations of clergy members abusing children, but officials said this case involves the most senior Buddhist monk to face accusations of this nature.
The 71-year-old monk is the chief custodian of a sacred tree believed to have been grown 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 heads eight highly revered temples located along one of Sri Lanka’s key Buddhist pilgrimage routes.