Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 ends in crown-grabbing brawl, police reports lodged

In what seemed to be violent flashbacks to Pia Wurtzbach’s win as Ms. Universe over Ms. Columbia in 2017, Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 ended with last year’s winner, Caroline Jurie, spending minutes detaching current winner Pushpika de Silva’s crown off her head to hand over to the first runner up.

Caroline accused Pushpika of being completely unqualified of the win, as she was a divorcee.

As of publishing, Pushpika has been re-crowned as Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021, has seen medical care for head injuries, and issued a statement on her Facebook account about the incident.

What brawl happened on Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021?

According to Sri Lank Times, the winner’s announcement during the April 4 Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 pageant was fraught with controversy and tinged with violence.

After the judges, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, Mayor Rosy Senanayake, and Chandimal Jayasinghe, crowned Pushpika, the 2020 winner of the same pageant, Caroline went on stage.

Pushpika was standing with the rest of the runner-up contestants, waiting to make her victory walk around the stage, when Caroline took the mic and began to speak as the victory music began to play.

She said that Pushpika should be disqualified from winning as the latter was allegedly a divorcee. Before anyone could intervene, rushed to the small group of pageant winners and began to immediately remove the the crown from Pushpika.

Caroline was not able to remove the crown from Pushpika immediately, and the footage shows that the latter tried to stop her. But eventually, Caroline succeeded and took the crown from Pushpika and put it on the runner-up’s head. Pushpika stormed off the stage, and reports mentioned that a brawl had erupted backstage after the drama occurred.

Pushpika de Silva re-crowned Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021

The South Asia Monitor reported that Pushpika had been admitted into a hospital for head-related injuries, and was re-crowned as Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021.

Pushpika’s assistant denied the winner’s divorcee status in a newspaper interview. She also issued a statement on her Facebook page.

My dear, loving, respectful, intelligent Sri Lankan and people of the world,

I know you are expecting my response to the unexpected incident that happened.

Even though I have a lot to say, I will post only the essential things here.

Firstly, I would like to give my respect and thanks to the judiciary for choosing me as the winner of the 2021 Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant.

Secondly, as I think, for the first time in the history of the pageant and not just in Sri Lanka but in the world, that even though my crown has been snatched in front of everyone insultingly, I will keep my head straight at this moment of writing and say that I am proud of myself as this is just another incident for me.

The pain of my skull when my crown was snatched from my head by the former Mrs. Sri Lanka, was more painful than when my child asked me,

“Mother’s head is injured right..? Does it hurt mom?”

I can’t bear the pain I feel when my son hears me. But, this is a historical moment for me as a single woman, where women and men all over the world raise their voice behind party, color, religion, caste and division.

I say that this love from all of you is a giant strength to me. On the other hand I’m not a divorced woman. I say with great responsibility that I am not a divorcee woman even at this moment of writing.

If I was a divorcee, I would dare them to submit my divorce papers. I haven’t hidden from the world that I live with my child. I also have personal reasons why i want to be that way. Separation is one thing, Divorce is something else.

I’m still not a divorced woman. If I wasn’t fit at the beginning of this tournament they could have removed me. They weren’t sleeping until I came so far after the remaining game events.

I became a beauty queen in the year 2011 and Ten years later, last night, I was crowned Mrs. Sri Lanka World queen by the decision of the judiciary. And at that moment, I became the Mrs. Sri Lanka of the hearts of all of you in Sri Lanka and the world.

So, if that symbolic crown was snatched from my head, I’ve already passed the necessary legal action for that injustice and insult, and I’m informing you. Finally, I say a true queen is not a woman who snatches another woman’s crown, but a woman who secretly sets another woman’s crown!!

From, Pushpika de Silva- For the first time in history, while wearing the crown on her head, had the crown snatched by the former Mrs. Sri Lanka

from Pushpika de Silva’s Facebook account, edited for clarity

She has since lodged a police investigation into the matter, accusing Caroline and another pageant official of physically assaulting her, resulting in head injuries.

Header image from Colombo Gazette