Hirunika breaches security barricades to reach closer to the President’s House.

A security lapse enabled former MP Hirunika Premachandra to virtually walk through barricades and police personnel deployed around the Fort area enabling her to end up just a few meters away from the President’s House today morning.

A small but vociferous group led by Ms Premachandra nearly pushed through the final gate before the main entrance to the President’s House,  when a few Presidential Security Division guards managed to close the gate.
The ex-MP backed by local politician Rehan Jayawickrema,  grandson of former powerful UNP Minister Montegu Jayawickrema led the protest for nearly an hour before they were taken in a bus to the Police station.

‘Where was your security when we marched to this place’,  Ms Premachandra questioned while chanting slogans calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,

As the group was being taken away in a bus, some of them provided live coverage of the arrest as police took time to trace their mobile phones.

Incidentally, another group of protesters led by Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Nalin Bandara in a separate protest march also breached a security barricade and almost reached the second barricade along Chatham Street before they were pushed back.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse off the protesters, but they soon regrouped to continue their protest campaign.