The Police will investigate attorney Udaya Gammanpila’s claims that he witnessed the incident in which Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera was made to wear a prison uniform, Cabinet of Ministers Spokesperson Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said.

Responding to questions at the weekly Cabinet media briefing, Dr Jayatissa said the allegations were too serious to be taken lightly. The investigation would establish whether the incident had occurred and, if so, how it had happened.

Gammanpila had reportedly claimed that he witnessed the incident inside the prison. He had also said that Gnanasara told him his robes had been removed, that the incident had been recorded on a mobile phone and that the footage had been shown to a senior Government official.

“Someone listening to this might wonder whether Gammanpila himself witnessed the incident,” Dr Jayatissa said.

He said that once the Prisons Department lodged a complaint, the Police would investigate to establish the facts. Gammanpila would then have to disclose to investigators everything he had witnessed, as well as what he had been told and heard, Dr Jayatissa added.