PAGEANT ROW: CHAOS AS WINNER’S CROWN REMOVED
REIGNING TITLE HOLDER ARRESTED FOR ‘ASSAULTING’ NEW Mrs SRI LANKA
COLOMBO police last Thursday (8) arrested the current “Mrs World” on charges of assault over an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the new “Mrs Sri Lanka”.
Caroline Jurie yanked the crown off Pushpika de Silva minutes after she was declared “Mrs Sri Lanka 2020” in a gala the previous Sunday (4) at Colombo’s Nelum Pokuna theatre.
Jurie was the previous year’s “Mrs Sri Lanka” and had gone on to win the “Mrs World” competition organised by a California-based company.
De Silva needed hospital treatment after the incident, seen by stunned spectators in a packed venue as well as a live social media audience.
“We have arrested Jurie and (her associate) Chula Manamendra in connection with a charge of assault and causing damage to Nelum Pokuna (theatre),” senior police official Ajith Rohana said.
De Silva told reporters outside a police station in Colombo last Thursday that she was ready to drop the charges if Jurie made a public apology, but she had refused. “I tried to end this out of court, but she has refused,” de Silva said. “I can forgive, but not forget.”
Police said a court hearing was fixed for April 19 and Jurie and her associate who crashed the stage on the April 4 event were released on bail last Thursday. Neither of them nor their lawyers spoke to reporters outside the police station.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Jurie had claimed that de Silva was divorced and therefore ineligible for the prize. Her surprise announcement sparked unruly scenes minutes after the chief guest, prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife Shiranthi, had left the theatre. To qualify for the title, contestants must be married. De Silva is estranged from her husband, but they are still legally married.
De Silva clarified in a Facebook post last Monday (5) that she was not divorced but separated.
The prize was returned to her last Tuesday (6) at a news conference, after pageant organisers confirmed she was not a divorcee and apologised to her.
An emotional de Silva said, “I forgive everyone involved in this incident. “If anyone thinks they can obstruct me by doing this type of thing, they will not succeed. I am an iron woman.”
The official Mrs World Instagram account acknowledged De Silva’s victory in a brief post with her photo last Tuesday (6). The local franchise holder for the pageant, Chandimal Jayasinghe, said they were “deeply disturbed and sincerely regret” the behaviour of Jurie.
Jayasinghe said that they were claiming compensation from Jurie for damages to the stage and backstage dressing rooms where several mirrors had been smashed after the event.
The rumpus also meant the event dragged on two hours longer and theatre management demanded an additional fee of half a million Sri Lankan rupees (£1,820), Jayasinghe added.
Jurie has also been accused by organisers for bringing disrepute to the event. Social media calls have been mounting to strip Jurie of her “Mrs World” title, with one meme calling for her to be rebranded as “Mrs Under World”.