Sri Lanka's economic and political crisis has made global headlines. The South Asian Island nation is in the grips of acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines and even the school exams were cancelled as the country couldn't pay for the imports of paper. Amid this turmoil, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned and fled to a naval base in Trincomalee. The government has sought assistance from India, China, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to manage the crisis.
Some reports then suggested that India is sending troops to the neighbouring country, but it couldn't be further from the truth.
The claim
Sri Lanka is ravaged by nationwide violence, with houses of ruling party politicians and family members of President Gotabaya Rajapksa being torched. Eight people, including a politician from the ruling party, a police officer and civilians, have been killed since violence broke out on Monday, while as many as 219 injured persons underwent treatments at government hospitals.
There were extremely violent clashes between supporters of now-resigned PM Rajapaksa and peaceful protestors, who were on the streets for more than a month now, raising their voices against the severe economic crisis the country is going through.
Amidst this tense situation, there were reports that claimed India is sending its troops to Sri Lanka. The reports also indicated that ex-PM Rajapaksa and his family members fled to India, while their whereabouts remain unknown since the PM's resignation on Monday.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the outpour of reports and sought the MEA's response to such a development. The Indian High Commission in Colombo released a statement on Wednesday to thwart the spread of rumours and refuted the speculative reports in the media.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in New Delhi on Tuesday: "India will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes".
In a tweet on Tuesday from the official handle of India in Sri Lanka, the ministry said it is fully supportive of the island nation's democracy, stability and economic recovery.
"The High Commission would like to categorically deny speculative reports in sections of media and social media about #India sending her troops to Sri Lanka. These reports and such views are also not in keeping with the position of the Government of #India," the Indian mission said on Twitter.
"The Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs of India clearly stated yesterday that India is fully supportive of Sri Lanka's democracy, stability and economic recovery," it said in another tweet.
The High Commission would like to categorically deny speculative reports in sections of media and social media about #India sending her troops to Sri Lanka. These reports and such views are also not in keeping with the position of
— India in Sri Lanka (@IndiainSL) May 11, 2022
the Government of #India. (1/2)
Hence, IBTimes has arrived at the conclusion that reports of India sending troops to Sri Lanka are entirely false and baseless.
