Reigning Mrs. World was arrested on Thursday for allegedly causing injury by snatching the crown from the head of the new Mrs. Sri Lanka.
Pushpika De Silva was given the Mrs. Sri Lanka title in a pageant that aired on national TV on Sunday, but her glory was short-lived when 2019 winner Caroline Jurie went up on stage and pulled the crown off De Silva's head.
Jurie—who won the Mrs. World 2020 competition and is also Sri Lankan—literally took matters into her own hands during the filmed event that took place in Colombo.
She declared:
"There is a rule that prevents women who have already been married and are divorced, so I am taking steps to make the crown go to second place."
After removing the crown from De Silva, Jurie proceeded to give the crown to the first runner-up and declared her the winner in front of a confused audience as De Silva walked off the stage.
Pageant organizers later dismissed Jurie's claim and confirmed De Silva was separated but not divorced.
Jurie has since been released on bail, according to the Huffington Post.
You can watch the video of the pageant here:
De Silva later wrote in a Facebook post she went to the hospital to be treated for her head injuries from the crown being forcibly removed from her head.
She also confirmed her marital status in the post, writing:
"Being apart is one. Divorce is something else. I'm still an un divorced woman."
People were speechless after watching the video but did not hold back their thoughts on Twitter.
At a press conference, De Silva said she plans to seek legal action for the "unreasonable and insulting" way she was treated during the event.
Said De Silva:
"There are a lot of single mums like me today who are suffering in Sri Lanka. This crown is dedicated to those women, those single mums who are suffering to raise their kids alone."
Senior police official Ajith Rohana—who said police received a complaint from De Silva about her assault issued a statement, saying police had arrested Jurie and a model named Chula Manamendra.
"We have arrested Jurie and (her associate) Chula Manamendra in connection with a charge of assault and causing damage to Nelum Pokuna (theatre)."
Both women had been ordered to appear in court on April 19.
In addition to attacking De Silva, the two women reportedly smashed mirrors at the venue.
De Silva told reporters outside a police station in Colombo she was willing to drop the charges if Jurie publicly apologized. But Jurie refused.
"I tried to end this out of court, but she has refused," De Silva said. "I can forgive, but not forget."
Organizers of the pageant said they plan to return the crown to De Silva.
Reigning Mrs. World—Caroline Jurie—announced Friday she gave up her crown over the controversy about her behavior at the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant.
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