We walked into Negombo police station in Sri Lanka, just 40 kilometers from Colombo, to meet some families who have been uprooted. 

The man in charge of the station was busy looking at some chits and scribbling on his paper, unperturbed by our presence. 

He looked at us with a blank face and only said, "we cannot allow as this is a government property." We were there to meet the refugees who were thrown out of their rented accommodations just because they were Muslims. 

After the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, Negombo has been on the edge where St Sebastian's Church was attacked by extremists. It's a Christian dominated area which coexists with Muslims. But that afternoon threw all out of gear. "They banged our doors, asked us to leave, blamed us for the attacks," said Sajal, a refugee in asylum from Pakistan. About 1,000 refugees in asylum from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan have been thrown out from their homes after the attacks in Negombo. 

We somehow managed to sneak in from the back of the police station even though the officer had denied us access. And what we saw was heart rending. Kids in deep sleep unperturbed by the hostility around. We wonder, what will they grow up to be if this is the life they are forced into. Eighteen-year-old Mahdi said, "I don't know how to express my emotions but I want to tell Sri Lankans that stop treating me as a terrorist. I left my country as I was fleeing terrorism and came here for some safety and love but now they blame me for the attacks. I did not do it."  

The anger is not just directed at the refugees alone, but surely they are easy targets. Ruki Fernando, a human rights activist in Sri Lanka, said: "The apprehension is that these incidents might escalate unless we nip them in the bud right now. It is important to address it right now so that it does not get out of hands. The government needs to take more steps."

The undercurrent is strong against Muslims. Last year they were attacked by Buddhists and now Christians. 

We tried to look for the people who had thrown out the Muslims from their homes. We identified the homes but all efforts to speak to them failed till we spotted a man who was welcoming, he spoke to us on grounds of anonymity. "We are against ISIS (ISIL). They are the ones we are scared of," he said. Immediately one realizes that the Sri Lankan spirit of peace and solidarity has been shattered.

While towns like Negombo are on the edge, another drama unfolded. The security forces conducted an operation in the Eastern province in a home in Samanthurai. They seized detonators, 150 gelignite sticks, 100,000 metal balls, ISIL uniforms, ISIL flags and a drone camera. 

A security spokesperson informed that there was an explosion in the area and when soldiers went to investigate they were fired upon.The raid took place in the towns of Ampara, and Sainthamaruthu near Batticaloa, where explosions took place on the Easter Sunday.

Then one wonders, how nine Sri Lankan passport holders carried out this coordinated attack? And what's more behind this collapse of the fabric of coexistence in Sri Lanka?