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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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
