Requested money from the Municipal Council, refusing free marketing for Satyagraha banners.

An urgent situation of unrest has arisen at the Satyagraha site operating within the Viharamahadevi Park premises in Colombo. The reason for this is the attempt by Colombo Municipal Council officials to remove the display boards and banners installed by the monks engaged in the Satyagraha.

Officials in charge of Viharamahadevi Park, who arrived at the Satyagraha site, informed the monks present there to immediately remove the unauthorized display boards at the said location. The officials stated that if those boards are not removed, it is necessary to obtain proper permission for displaying them, and that the relevant fees must be paid to the Municipal Council. They explained that the same procedure followed when various commercial brands use the Viharamahadevi premises for marketing activities applies here.

This conflict arose when Municipal Council officials demanded money, stating that banners cannot be displayed for free. As the monks opposed this, refusing to pay money or remove the banners, the situation between the two parties became heated. Municipal Council employees also emphasized that if their notification was not agreed upon, they, as officials, would have to remove the relevant boards.

Despite this lack of agreement between the two parties, officials in charge of the park had taken steps to remove the banners installed at the Satyagraha site. However, it is reported that the monks present there, who strongly protested this, and the laypeople supporting them and gathered there, together, have taken steps to re-install the banners and boards that were removed by the officials, at the very same location.