Finance minister joins protesters (Photo Ranjith Asanka)

Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama also participated in the protest organised jointly by the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) and the Independent Media Workers Union (IMWU).

Photo journalist Lanka Jayasundara and Dilani Maheshika, an employee of a five star hotel were killed by the attack.

Condemning the attack on the concert ruling coalition partner Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) called upon "the relevant authorities" on Thursday to take immediate action to identify the "groups involved"

However, the JVP alleged in a statement that, "It is the very group who are bankrupt which behaved violently in the recent past in the Parliament".

FMM spokesman Sunanda Deshapriya said that the JVP and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is "at the helm of the Sinhala Buddhist fundamentalist current" that is responsible for several earlier incidents which culminated in the concert bomb attack.

Statements by government ministers and members of parliament implicating private owned media involvement in the bombing was also condemned by demonstrators.