Sri Lankan Parliament disrupted again, adjourned until Monday amid political crisis
Colombo, Nov 16 : Sri Lanka's Parliament witnessed chaos for a second day Friday as MPs loyal to disputed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa occupied the seat of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and shouted slogans, forcing him to summon police inside the House and adjourning the session until Monday.
The brawl occurred a day after the Speaker announced there is no prime minister or government following a no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa.
Friday's proceedings were to repeat the floor test which was disrupted on Thursday.
President Maithripala Sirisena, who installed Rajapaksa as prime minister last month in a controversial move, had agreed for a floor test with the leaders of ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's coalition during crisis talks last night.
The MPs supporting Rajapaksa took over the seat of the Speaker, delaying the proceedings, officials said. They shouted slogans against Jayasuriya.
The Speaker summoned police inside Parliament chamber after 45 minutes of disruption. One of the rioting MPs Arundika Fernando occupied the seat of the Speaker with more MPs surrounding it.
Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a senior parliamentarian, was injured in the melee.
The rioting United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) members demanded the arrest of two legislators of the Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP). They charged that two UNP legislators, Palitha Thewarapperuma and Ranjan Ramanayake were carrying knives during the brawl which took place yesterday.
Yesterday, UPFA MP Dilum Amunugama was injured in clashes inside the chamber.
Police Friday protected Jayasuriya from the rioting MPs as he called the Tamil National Alliance lawmaker MA Sumanthiran to propose the suspension of the standing orders. Jayasuriya on the basis of a voice vote announced that the motion against Rajapaksa was defeated as physical voting could not take place due to the brawl.
The rioting MPs threw books at the police. Jayasuriya immediately suspended the sittings until November 19 and left the House surrounded by police.
President Sirisena said that he would not 'prorogue the Parliament under any circumstances.'
"I urge all Parliamentarians to uphold principles of democracy parliamentary traditions at all times. I will not prorogue Parliament under any circumstances," the president tweeted.
The trouble erupted in Parliament on Thursday when the Speaker agreed to a request from ousted premier Wickremesinghe's UNP that a vote be taken on a statement made by Rajapaksa demanding fresh polls.
Jayasuriya allowed Rajapaksa to make a statement as a lawmaker after stating that he does not recognise the claim of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) leader who lost a no-confidence motion on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa's side has disputed the no-trust motion, saying proper procedure was not followed and accused Jayasuriya of bias towards his own party.
Parliament on Wednesday passed the no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa after the Supreme Court overturned the presidential decree to dissolve the House and hold snap polls on January 5.
Amid raucous scenes, Parliament on Wednesday met for the first time since October 26, when Sirisena sacked premier Wickremesinghe, installed Rajapaksa in his place and suspended the House, plunging the island nation into an unprecedented Constitutional crisis.
The vote of no confidence against Rajapaksa has further complicated the political crisis. It is not yet clear whether Rajapaksa will resign or whether the ousted Wickremesinghe, who has the support of 122 lawmakers in the 225-member House, will return to power.
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Govt ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels, securing convictions against offenders: Amit Shah
New Delhi (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels and praised the NCB for securing convictions against 73 offenders in the first quarter of 2026.
Among the important convictions is one linked to a case involving the seizure of 2.75 kg of heroin at the Ahmedabad airport in 2021 and 4.23 kg of heroin at Fazilka (Punjab) along the India-Pakistan border in 2022.
In these cases, two foreign traffickers were sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, a home ministry statement said.
Shah took to X to say: "To protect our youth from the scourge of drugs, the Modi govt is ruthlessly demolishing drug cartels and is also ensuring their conviction."
"Under this mission, the NCB has made a breakthrough of getting 73 drug offenders convicted in the first three months of 2026, with harshest punishments. We are determined to shut every breathing space of drug rackets with entire might. Congratulations to NCB for this achievement," the home minister said.
According to official data, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) secured convictions for 73 drug offenders in 35 cases in the first three months of this year. Of the convicts, four were awarded the maximum sentence of 20 years, while 54 received sentences of 10 years or more.
The statement said a total fine of Rs 1.22 crore was also imposed on the convicts.
The statement also mentioned a conviction secured in the 2023 pseudoephedrine-diversion case (a controlled substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) involving a company named Alps Life Sciences Private Limited located in Sonipat, Haryana.
In this case, three accused, including the firm's director, were sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each. The company was also convicted and fined Rs 1.5 lakh. The permission granted to the company for manufacturing pseudoephedrine has also been withdrawn by the NCB, the statement said.
The federal anti-narcotics agency has also appealed to other central and state enforcement agencies to identify key undertrial cases involving drug kingpins and ensure effective prosecution, according to the statement.
