A Buddhist monk accused the Sinhala Buddhist extremist organisation Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) of assaulting him for preaching ethnic harmony among communities.
The attacked monk, , Watareka Vijitha, reportedly angered the BBS with a speech he delivered during Ramadan, calling for peaceful coexistence among different communities.
The monk was attacked in Kandy whilst he was travelling to Colombo, and sought protection form the police at Kegalle police station. The leader of the group that assaulted the monk was identified as the Kandy district leader of the BBS; police prosecutions are yet to be made.