SLC suspends Gunathilaka after arrest in Australia on rape charges
Colombo (PTI): The Sri Lankan cricket board on Monday suspended national team player Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect after he was arrested in Australia on charges of sexual assault during the country's campaign in the T20 World Cup there.
The 31-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney in the wee hours of Sunday following an investigation into alleged sexual assault of a woman on November 2.
"The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) decided to suspend national player Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect and will not consider him for any selection after being informed that Mr. Gunathilaka was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a woman in Australia," the Board said in a statement.
"Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket will take necessary steps to promptly carry out an inquiry into the alleged offense, and, upon conclusion of the aforementioned court case in Australia, steps will be taken to penalize the said player if found guilty."
SLC said it adopts a 'zero tolerance' policy for such conduct by a player and will provide all the required support to the Australian law enforcement authorities to carry out an impartial inquiry into the incident.
The Sri Lankan team had left Australia without Gunathilaka after being eliminated from the T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Gunathilaka was denied bail after the hearing at a local court in Sydney on Monday. He attended the hearing via a video link in Downing Centre Local Court from Surry Hills cells.
According to a report in the 'Sydney Morning Herald', Gunathilaka was handcuffed and wearing a grey T-shirt, blue jeans and flip flops during his virtual attendance at the hearing.
His lawyer Ananda Amaranath made a bail application during the "closed court" hearing and magistrate Robert Williams refused bail, the report said.
"Certainly, we are considering an application to the Supreme Court and that will be done as soon as possible," Amaranth was quoted as saying in the report.
"He'll be disappointed, clearly."
The left-handed batter played against Namibia in the first round match of the ongoing showpiece and was out for a duck. Later, he was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury even as the team qualified for the Super 12 stage. The Lankan team finished fourth in Group 1.
According to local media reports, Gunathilaka and the woman were in touch for a number of days after connecting via an online dating app. The arrest was made from a Sydney hotel just a few hours before the Sri Lankan team left Australia.
Gunathilaka is no stranger to controversies.
In 2021, he was suspended by SLC for one year after he breached the team's bio-secure bubble on the tour of England along with teammates Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella.
The Board had also handed him a six-month ban in 2018 after he had broken the team curfew. In the same year, Gunathilaka was also suspended after his unnamed friend was accused of raping a Norwegian women.
In 2017, the board had suspended him for six limited overs games for missing training sessions and turning up for a game without his cricket gear.
He has represented Sri Lanka in eight Tests, 47 ODIs and 46 T20 Internationals.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
