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Many of the incidents and news stories regarding politicians are distorted and published on social media platforms, often misleading users. This is a fact-check we did on such a post regarding MP Namal Rajapaksa.
Social Media Posts :
The social media post was published with the caption “You and I are both the same. There were some minor shortcomings. But the drama is good.” This post was regarding the incident where a person protested against MP Namal Rajapaksa at a Laggala safety center. The social media post attempts to claim that this incident was a staged act. It states that the person who protested against the MP is Ramesha Silva, as evidenced by a comparison of a photo of the protestor with a photo of Ramesha Silva alongside Namal Rajapaksa and his wife.
Some other claims also surfaced alleging the incident was staged.
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Meanwhile, another post specifically claimed that the youth involved is a member of the “Nil Balakaya” (SLFP’s Youth arm), and that he staged the incident. A photo of him with Namal Rajapaksa in 2015 was also shared to support this claim.
As various social media posts were published regarding this, and as we received many requests to investigate, we took steps to investigate this claim.
Fact Check :
Accordingly, we checked the mainstream media reports. Many media outlets had reported the incident with the footage, and Hiru NEWS has reported that the person who protested was a relative of the National People’s Power Matale District MP. Ada Derana had reported that the relevant person is a supporter of the National People’s Power.
Was it Ramesh Silva who had an argument with Namal Rajapaksa?
We checked the Facebook account of Ramesh Silva, and there we noticed that there is no resemblance between Ramesh Silva and the protesting youth. In his account, Ramesh Silva has also published a post stating that a complaint had been filed with the police against the posts circulating on social media using his photo.
He has attached a copy of the complaint receipt, a social media post using his photo, and a photo of the youth who protested, claiming to be a supporter of the National People’s Power, along with his post.
He has also published a video via Facebook Live stating that he was with Namal Rajapaksa at the time of the incident, and that the person who protested is a supporter of the National People’s Power.
Accordingly, upon closely observing the footage, we were able to notice Ramesh Silva in the footage.
Below is a video from a different angle showing Ramesh Silva and the relevant person in the same frame.
Meanwhile, another social media user had posted a video on Facebook that shows both Ramesh Silva and the relevant person in the same scene. Accordingly, it is clear that it is not Ramesh Silva who had an argument with Namal Rajapaksa in Laggala.
Is the person who protested a member of the ‘Nil Balakaya’ by SLFP?
We also took steps to investigate the veracity of the posts that were published claiming that the person who protested is a member of the ‘Nil Balakaya’ by the SLFP. Comments posted for these posts suggested that the person in question, Vimukthi Senanayake, had died in 2019. A friend of his stated that through a social media post. Another Facebook post suggested that the relevant person died in a car accident 7 years ago. Accordingly, we checked Vimukthi Senanayake’s Facebook account, and it was clear that his account has not been updated since 2018 and thus has become a Memorialized Account. However, upon checking his account, it was clear that he is a supporter of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
Accordingly, it is clear that the posts published claiming that Namal had an argument with a member of ‘Nil Balakaya’ in Laggala are also false.
Namal Rajapaksa – Podujana Peramuna
We inquired from Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP Namal Rajapaksa regarding the posts circulating on social media. The MP stated that the circulating posts are false and that neither of the accused people has any connection to the Laggala incident.
He also confirmed that Vimukthi Senanayake, whose name was stated in some social media posts, was a member of their political party and passed away in 2018.
Media Division of the National People’s Power
We also inquired from the National People’s Power regarding this incident. The media division of the party stated that the person who protested and had an argument with MP Namal Rajapaksa is Sisira Kumara, who is a member of the National People’s Power.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation shows that the social media posts circulating about the person who had an argument with MP Namal Rajapaksa, stating that it was a staged act, are false and misleading. The person who had an argument with Namal Rajapaksa is a member of the National People’s Power.
Title:Is the Laggala incident, where a person protested against Namal Rajapaksa, a staged act?
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: False
