by Cyril Wimalasurendre

A hand grenade was lobbed into and exploded in the garden of Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyeratne’s official residence in Kandy Wednesday night but nobody was injured, police said.

The explosion occurred around 7.20 p.m. while Wijeyeratne’s wife, Devika, and two children were in the house.

Police had no immediate suspects but had cordoned off and searched the area. Wijeyeratne is not in the country at present. There were no serious damages.

"I was in the pantry with my children watching television when we heard an enormous noise and knew something had been thrown," Mrs. Wijeyeratne told ‘The Island’. The house is situated on Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha behind the Temple of the Tooth.

Police believe that the grenade had been thrown from a lane leading to another temple near the Udawattekele forest reserve which overlooks the Nilame’s official residence.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Mahinda Balasuriya is directing investigations.