Yahoo Finance Mrs. World Arrested After Grabbing Newly Crowned Mrs. Sri Lanka’s Tiara Off Head, Allegedly Injuring Her
Mrs. World Caroline Jurie was arrested on Thursday after forcibly removing the tiara off newly crowned Mrs. Sri Lanka Pushpika De Silva's head at Sunday's competition.
De Silva reportedly suffered injuries from when Jurie pulled off her crown.
Jurie along with model Chula Padmendra were arrested for "charges of simple hurt and criminal cause," police spokesman Ajith Rohana told BBC. Reps of Jurie and Padmendra did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
They both were later released on bail and are expected to appear in court on April 19, according to the Associated Press.
In a video of the crowning ceremony published by the Colombo Gazette, Jurie cites a pageantrule that prevents women who have been divorced from winning the title.
caroline jurie/instagram
"There is a rule that you have to be married and not divorced, so I am taking my first steps in saying that the crown goes to the first runner-up," Jurie tells the audience.
She then takes the crown from the winner's head and places it on runner-up, prompting De Silva to walk offstage, the video shows.
For more on the Mrs. World pageant drama, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day.
In a Facebook post shared on Monday, De Silva admitted she was separated, but not divorced and said she suffered "injuries to my skull" when Jurie "snatched" her crown.
"So, even though that symbolic crown has been snatched from my head, I would like to inform you that I have already taken the necessary legal action for the injustice and insult that has taken place," she wrote in a statement translated from Sinhala.
pushpika desilva/instagram
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Following Jurie's arrest, the chief organizer of Mrs Sri Lanka pageant, Chandimal Jayasinghe, told the Colombo Gazette that he, Jurie, Padmendra and De Silva all gave statements at the Cinnamon Gardens Police station before the charges were made.
Jayasinghe also told the BBC that De Silva has been re-crowned and they expect Jurie to issue a formal apology.
"We are disappointed. It was a disgrace how Caroline Jurie behaved on the stage and the Mrs World organisation has already begun an investigation on the matter," he told the outlet.
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In a statement posted to her Facebook on Tuesday, De Silva thanked pageant officials for their support following the incident.
"I do not hate anyone and I forgive those who do so to me at that moment," she wrote in Sinhala. "Nothing can be won by hatred."
