Parliamentary committee urges Speaker to correct misleading news on assault investigation

• Committee members MPs Imthiaz Bakeer Markar and Gayantha Karunathilaka say it has not reached a determination as reported 
• Says it has not concluded that MPs Diana Gamage, Sujith Sanjaya Perera and Rohana Bandara have brought disrepute to Parliament
• Asks Speaker to correct erroneous news item appearing on various media outlets citing committee chair Ajith Rajapakse 

Two members of the five-member parliamentary committee, appointed by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to investigate the recent assault on State Minister Diana Gamage in parliament, have formally written to the Speaker to express their concerns about an incorrect news report on its investigations. 

In the letter, committee members MPs Imthiaz Bakeer Markar and Gayantha Karunathilaka urged the Speaker to rectify a misleading news article, which erroneously stated that the committee had concluded that Gamage, along with MPs Sujith Sanjaya Perera and Rohana Bandara who were involved in the incident was responsible for tarnishing the parliament’s reputation through their actions. 

The news report had cited Chair of the Committee Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakse, who claimed that preliminary investigations into the assault had unveiled that all three MPs had conducted themselves in a manner that brought disrepute to the parliament. 

Bakeer Markar and Karunathilaka clarified that the committee’s investigations are still in progress, and no final verdict has been reached regarding the incident.

         The Speaker appointed the committee on 20 October after Gamage claimed she was assaulted by two Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs in the lobby of the parliament. The Committee led by Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakse includes MPs Chamal Rajapaksa, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Gayantha Karunathilaka and Imthiaz Bakeer Markar.

         The Committee will meet on 9 November, during which they will finalise the report to be submitted to the Speaker. MPs Diana Gamage, Sujith Sanjaya Perera and Rohana Bandara have provided their statements to the Committee.