A day after Mahinda Rajapaksa quit as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, there have been reports that the 76-year-old and his family members have fled to India. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, however, on Tuesday refuted as fake and blatantly false local social media speculation that the patriarch of the powerful Rajapaksa family has fled to India.

The High Commission has recently noticed rumours circulating in sections of media and social media that certain political persons and their families have fled to India. These are fake and blatantly false reports, devoid of any truth or substance. The High Commission strongly denies them, a statement said.