Excise Officer arrested for distorting ‘Soorya Mangalya’ song, sharing online

An Excise officer was arrested on Tuesday (April 16) in Wariyapola for allegedly distorting and sharing the ‘Soorya Mangalya’ song on social media.

The song ‘Soorya Mangalya’ is traditionally performed by Rohana Beddage and the Ranwala Corps during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations.

The arrest followed a formal complaint lodged with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), alleging that the traditional song had been tampered with.

Acting on the complaint, the Computer Crimes Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) undertook an inquiry into the incident and ultimately arrested the suspect.

After the arrest, the 31-year-old Excise officer, a resident of Thalathuoya, was transferred to the Wariyapola Police Station.

He is due to be presented before the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate’s Court today (April 17).

UPDATE – 03:55 PM:

The 31-year-old Excise officer, who was arrested for allegedly singing a distorted version of the New Year song ‘Soorya Mangalya’ by veteran singer Rohana Beddage and sharing it on social media, has been remanded until April 22, 2024.

The order was given by Kuliyapitiya Acting Magistrate Upul Alagiyawanna, who rejected the defense counsel’s request for bail.

He also called for a report on the suspect’s mental health and ordered that the suspect be referred to the mental health unit at Kurunegala Teaching Hospital.