Basil's Malwana house transferred to UGC - Antare withdraws after winning demands

The Prime Minister has agreed to transfer the sixteen-acre land and two-story house located in the Malwana area, which falls under the Dompe Divisional Secretariat and was forcibly occupied by a group of university students, to the University Grants Commission.

Following this decision, the Inter-University Students' Federation has decided to immediately vacate the said land, and its convener, Mr. Sasindu Perera, confirmed this to the media after a discussion held today (18) at the Prime Minister's Office. He further stated that he and his group are taking steps to immediately vacate the premises as their request to the government has received a positive response and the Prime Minister has promised to transfer the property to the Grants Commission as soon as possible.

This land, which was said to belong to former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, was later taken over by the government based on a court decision due to the absence of a legal owner after a court case. On the afternoon of the 14th, a group of students from the Inter-University Students' Federation forcibly entered this land, which was under the custody of the Dompe Divisional Secretary after being taken over by the government, disregarding police orders.

The students who entered the premises cleaned the house and its surroundings, lit a bonfire that night, organized a program of heroic songs, and a film review program the following night. The students' main argument was that by transferring this commercially valuable land, close to Colombo, to the university system, faculties and dormitories could be built, providing facilities for a larger number of students. Previously, after a discussion on this matter with an Assistant Secretary to the Prime Minister on the 15th proved unsuccessful, the students were also preparing to hold a protest rally in the Malwana area.

Against this occupation by the students, two complaints were filed with the Dompe Police by Mr. Samantha Nishshankaarachchi, the Dompe Divisional Secretary, and Mr. Upatissa Kumaratunga, the Deputy Leader of the New People's Front. The Divisional Secretary requested the removal of the students who had forcibly entered government land under his purview without any right, while the other complaint pointed out that this land is unsuitable for dormitories as it is prone to flood threats and is located more than twenty kilometers away from universities. Accordingly, the police were investigating the said complaints and preparing to report the facts to the Pugoda Magistrate's Court.