Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader and former Minister Udaya Gammanpila has alleged that a prison officer used a mobile phone to allow a powerful individual outside the prison to watch live as Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera was forcibly stripped of his robes and dressed in a prison uniform.

Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Gammanpila claimed that Gnanasara Thera had personally disclosed details of the incident when he visited Welikada Prison on October 8 at the monk’s request.

According to Gammanpila, prison officials had attempted to dress Gnanasara Thera in a prison uniform despite his strong objections, similar to an incident in 2018.

“As in 2018, Gnanasara Thera strongly resisted attempts by prison officers to dress him in a prison uniform. In 2018, the officers abandoned their efforts following his objections. However, this time, they were not prepared to back down. Instead, a large group of officers gathered and forcibly dressed him in the prison uniform,” Gammanpila said.

He further alleged that one of the officers had activated the camera on his mobile phone during the incident, enabling an influential individual at another location to watch the proceedings live.

“Gnanasara Thera witnessed an officer using his mobile phone camera to allow a powerful individual elsewhere to observe the forced changing of his clothing. This happened despite strong objections from both Gnanasara Thera and prison officers, due to intense political pressure from senior leaders of the National People’s Power (NPP),” Gammanpila alleged.

The former Minister further claimed that Gnanasara Thera had been deeply distressed when he removed his undergarment, the last remaining symbol of his monastic identity.

According to Gammanpila, when prison officers extended their hands to receive the garment, the monk, overwhelmed by distress, threw it into the air, causing it to become entangled in a rotating ceiling fan.

Gammanpila insisted that the removal of Gnanasara Thera’s robes and the decision to dress him in a prison uniform had not been initiated by prison officers themselves but were allegedly carried out under political pressure from senior figures in the current Government.

He maintained that he was making the allegation with full responsibility, describing the incident as an act of political revenge.

The allegations concerning the alleged livestream and political interference have not been independently verified.