A complaint has been filed with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) over an incident in which a group was allegedly prevented from paying floral tributes at the National War Heroes’ Monument near Parliament.
The complaint was submitted on Tuesday by Dr. Supun Abeysinghe, a Central Committee member of the National Freedom Front, along with a group of party representatives. It relates to an incident at the monument on Monday when a group led by former MP Wimal Weerawansa arrived at the site to pay tribute and tensions arose after security personnel denied them access.
The Police Media Division said preparations and rehearsal activities for the main 17th National War Heroes’ Commemoration Ceremony were under way at the monument at the time. According to police, a group of around 35 individuals, including the former MP, had allegedly attempted to enter the restricted area without authorisation, disrupting official duties and rehearsal arrangements.
Police said officers intervened and removed the group from the site to prevent disruption, and that legal action is expected to be taken against Wimal Weerawansa and others involved. The standoff escalated through assault allegations and a forced handcuff removal, opening a new docket alongside the Mallakam firearm case and Colombo Fort 2016 protest case already active against the former MP.
The HRCSL complaint extends the dispute into a rights-based forum even as Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka publicly named Wimal Weerawansa as an “opportunist” on the eve of Victory Day, and as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake led the official commemoration ceremony on Tuesday without inviting political figures from outside the government.
Source: Ada Derana.
