Sri Lanka Police have issued a statement regarding video footage showing unrest connected to the removal of a Buddha statue from the premises of the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya in Trincomalee.

According to the statement issued by Police, following the incident, fabricated stories are being circulated widely on various media platforms. The media statement was issued to clarify the accurate account of the incident.

The statement also notes that Sri Lanka Police observed a potential for tensions between communities arising from this incident.

Since the area concern represents all communities, if any individual had intentionally damaged the Buddha statue, it could have seriously threatened peace and coexistence in the region, police noted. Therefore, the statue was safely removed from the site and handed over to the Trincomalee Harbour Police for safekeeping, according to the statement.

Yesterday (16), during efforts by the Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management to stop unauthorized constructions—based on a complaint submitted to the Harbour Police—a group that gathered at the site behaved aggressively. Police then took action to manage the situation and at no point, did they assault clergy or the public, the statement emphasized.

Sri Lanka Police noted that at present, the area is peaceful and the relevant parties have agreed on the next steps. Accordingly, the Buddha statue, which had been under police protection, has been returned to the respected clergy and the contributing committee for proper placement.

The matter is scheduled to be reported to the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court today, police noted.