A rally jointly organised by several opposition parties was held in Nugegoda on the 21st. Shortly after, FactSeeker observed multiple social media posts circulating photos of boxes containing liquor bottles, alleging that alcohol had been distributed at the event.

However, FactSeeker’s investigation has confirmed that these images were not taken during the Nugegoda rally.

The circulating photos are actually from May 2022, during the period of political upheaval in Sri Lanka, when houses and properties belonging to MPs and ministers were attacked and damaged by the public.

During those incidents, a Prado vehicle belonging to former MP Johnston Fernando was vandalised. The widely shared photo—showing liquor bottles inside boxes—was one of several images captured at the time, documenting items found inside the damaged vehicle.

These images were previously published in news reports on the Daily Mirror (English) and Lankadeepa (Sinhala) websites on May 9, 2022.

https://x.com/Dailymirror_SL/status/1523632768608919553

Conclusion

FactSeeker confirms that the photos being circulated on social media claiming to show liquor brought to the Nugegoda rally on the 21st are misleading. The images are from 2022 and have no connection to the recent rally.