Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala has rejected allegations by Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thera, describing them as “a blatant lie”.

Watagala told reporters that he had never asked the monk to visit the Presidential Secretariat, nor had he ever met him or spoken with a coordinator.

The remarks came in response to questions about Kassapa Thero’s claim that the deputy minister had requested a meeting at the Secretariat regarding an incident at the Trincomalee Tissa Viharaya.

Watagala insisted that the allegation was baseless and said such statements would not serve the ulterior motives he believed the monk intended.