Sri Lankan police have arrested three men who had photographed themselves half-naked in front of a sacred site, the BBCreports.
Pidurangala Rock, from which the image was captured, is a short walk from the ancient fortress of Sigiriya,a Unesco World Heritage Site. Sri Lankan youth posted their photos on the social network Facebook, sparking outrage from many users. Some Internet users have interpreted it as blasphemy against the Buddhist sacred site. A Buddhist monk who claims the photo is a religious insult has filed a complaint against the young men. They were then arrested by police.
“Sri Lankan police do nothing”
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also ordered police to investigate, the Sri Lanka Daily Mirror reports. But the swift and swift response of the authorities has been criticized by some citizens who have protested that a minor case attracts so much attention when other crimes and offences that have become their daily lot go unpunished. “When our children are raped and women are abused, the Sri Lankan police do nothing. They only seem to act on trivial problems like this,” wrote one Facebook user.
Others wondered why the police had only taken action against Sri Lankan nationals and not against foreign visitors. Indeed, the Cheeky Exploits Instagram account encourages its followers to photograph their buttocks in the air in front of impressive sites. Photos of the account were reportedly taken at the Pidurangala site itself.
