Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday voiced concern over the arrest of former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, urging Colombo to “abjure the politics of vengeance” and ensure that the veteran leader is treated with dignity.
In a post on X, Tharoor said the charges against Wickremesinghe appeared “trivial” and raised concern about his health after he was admitted to hospital soon after his detention.
“Concerned about the detention of former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on what, on the face of it, seem trivial charges. His health issues have already seen him taken to the prison hospital. I call on the government of Sri Lanka — while fully respecting that this is their internal matter — to abjure the politics of vengeance and treat their former President with the respect and dignity that he deserves, after his decades of service to the nation,” Tharoor wrote.
His remarks came after senior Sri Lankan journalist S Venkat Narayan described the arrest as “ridiculous,” suggesting that India could even offer medical help to the 76-year-old leader if required.
Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday over allegations of misusing state funds for a private trip to London to attend a university graduation ceremony, Newswire Lanka reported. Investigators claim the visit, part of a larger overseas tour, was not an official engagement but financed with public money.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, became interim president in July 2022 following Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster, but lost the 2024 presidential election to Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People’s Power.