The CID Did NOT arrest the president of the Kelaniya Student Union; but another activist of the same union!

In some cases, mainstream media can inadvertently convey misleading information to the public due to omissions in their news coverage. The investigation we conducted aimed to determine the accuracy of such misleading information present in certain Facebook posts.

Social Media Posts:

On the 26th, the mainstream media, including social media, had reported that Kalum Mudannayake, President of the University of Kelaniya's Students' Union, had been arrested by the Public Complaints Division of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Facebook | Archived Link Facebook | Archived Link

Reports from mainstream news sources have highlighted the arrest of Kelum Mudannayake, the president of the University of Kelaniya Students' Union. For more information, you can refer to the articles available here and here.

In response to numerous inquiries questioning the accuracy of this information, we have chosen to conduct an investigation.

Fact Check:

It is not a secret that certain faculties in public universities in Sri Lanka engage in inhumane treatment and torture of freshmen.

While the initial media reports suggested that Kalum Mudannayake, the convenor of of Kelaniya University's student union, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department, some media reports later indicated that Sanjay Hettimulla, a student activist of the same university, was arrested. Further details can be found in a related report. Archived Link

Additionally, we noted that Kalum Mudannayake, the president of the University of Kelaniya Students' Union, posted on his Facebook account indicating the person arrested is Sanjay Hettimulla, a student activist.

Facebook | Archived Link

Moreover, on his official Facebook account, Kalum clarified that inaccurate media reports were targeting him by publishing false information. Archived Link

We reached out to Kalum Mudannayake, the convenor of the University of Kelaniya Student Union, who confirmed that he’s not in policr custody; rather, it was another student activist from the union.

Police spokesperson

During our inquiry, the Police Media Spokesman, DIG ,Attorney Nihal Talduwa, confirmed that an individual named Sanjay Hettimulla has been arrested by the Public Complaints Division of the Criminal Investigation Department, while confirming that Kalum Mudannayake has not been arrested.

On February 25th, Sanjay Hettimulla was apprehended while attempting to leave the country. This arrest is linked to an incident of freshmen torture that occurred on the university campus in the year 2022.

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Conclusion:

The individual arrested in connection with the 2022 freshman harassment incident on the University of Kelaniya campus was Sanjay Hettimulla, a student activist, not Kalum Mudannayake, the convenor of the University of Kelaniya Student Union. This confirmation was provided by Police Media Spokesperson Mr. Nihal Talduwa.