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Was Anura Kumara Dissanayake attacked in Sammanthurai?

False
False

A video circulating on social media claiming that the presidential candidate of the National People's Power (NPP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake, was pelted with stones during a public rally caught the attention of FactSeeker.

by Anonymous |

September 19, 2024

Observing the video, FactSeeker stepped into investigate.

The video was captured at a rally that took place at the NPP rally held in Samanthurai on September13.

In the video, the organizers of the rally are seen concerned, looking at a suspicious object in the skies, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake stops his speech as security closes in. He then continues his speech as the crowd settles, as seen in the video.

The link to the videois as follows– https://youtu.be/RjwtG9P7kvA?si=cnwpGhUbIGqiXEPc

A member of the rally’s organizing committee told FactSeeker that the flying object was initially suspected to be a drone. However, the object had turned out to be a bird.

When  inquired from the Samanthurai Police Station, OIC Chief Inspector K.D.S. Jayalath said that he and other officials were present at the time of the incident. He confirmed that there was no stone pelting or mob attack.
He also stated that there were no drones flying, and that the unrest was due to a pigeon flying in the sky with a small light attached to it by a group of children.

The OIC further said that the occurrence was a common leisure time activity among children in the area. The police had also inspected two pigeons in the area, and reported that no suspicious activities were linked with the birds.

Accordingly, FactSeeker confirms that the video is not a stone attack or a mob attack on Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s public rally.

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