Members of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) staged a protest yesterday (14), demanding that the controversial Malwana property allegedly linked to former Minister Basil Rajapaksa be handed over for public use, including for universities facing space shortages.

The protest was held at the Malwana estate, which spans nearly 15 acres and has previously been described as an ‘ownerless property’.

Student activists said the demonstration was aimed at reminding the current Government of its pledge to return to the people the properties stolen from the people after coming to power.

IUSF representatives called on authorities to allocate the land and house for university-related purposes as well as other public uses, arguing that many universities continue to struggle with infrastructure and land constraints while valuable State-controlled properties remain underutilised.

Members of the federation also occupied the property during the protest, claiming the estate should be used for the benefit of the public rather than left unused.

The property had earlier been taken over by the Ministry of Justice after no legal owner was identified.

Meanwhile, confusion emerged over which faction of the IUSF was involved in the protest and occupation of the property.

The IUSF split into two rival factions last year, with both groups claiming to represent the original organisation while using the same name and logo. One faction is widely regarded as being aligned with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), while the other is linked to the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP).

Speaking to Asian Mirror, Madushan Chandrajith, who identifies himself as the Convener of the rival IUSF faction that had controlled the federation for the past decade, denied any involvement in the incident.

“We have no connection to this incident. The group that occupied the property is still there,” he said.