By Asoka S. Seneviratne –

October 30th, 2025 — The Day Truth Spoke in Sri Lanka

On October 30th, 2025, Sri Lanka witnessed a moment of truth it could not ignore. Dr. Shiabdeen Mohamed Shafi—the doctor who was falsely accused in 2019 of sterilizing thousands of women—stood before the nation at the Colombo International Book Fair. The occasion was the launch of Ran Dhoni, the story of his daughter’s resilience, and the audience included senior NPP leaders such as Dr. Nalin Jayatissa, Bimal Ratnayake and Telvin Silva, the General Secretary of JVP.

What made the moment unforgettable was not merely the book, but Dr. Shafi’s voice. After years of silence, he recounted the cruelty of 2019 when lies, fear, and communal hatred were used to destroy him. With fearless clarity, he turned the accusation on its head: it was not doctors, he declared, but political monks and their patrons who sterilized women—not in their bodies, but in their dignity, their communities, and their future.

This statement was more than personal vindication. It exposed a deeper disease—the politics of sterilization—a weapon of opportunism and racism wielded by the Rajapaksa clan and echoed elsewhere, even today. It is a form of politics so vile that it continues to scar the nation.

The purpose of this article is to make one thing clear: Sri Lanka must bury this brand of racist politics once and for all, if future generations are to inherit the justice, equality, and dignity they deserve. This is no doubt possible along the regime of Persient Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD).

Background: The Engineered Anti-Muslim Violence

Long before Dr. Shafi became a target in 2019, Sri Lanka was already witnessing a wave of orchestrated anti-Muslim violence that shook the nation’s social fabric. In February 2018, attacks erupted in Amparai/Ampara Town, quickly spreading in early March to Digana and across the Kandy District, including Teldeniya, Pallekalle, Katugastota, Akurana, and other southern areas.

In Amparai, false and inflammatory rumors claimed that Muslim-run eateries were deliberately mixing contraceptives and sterilizing drugs into food—kothu roti, meat curry—served to Sinhala customers. These fabricated stories were amplified by influential figures, including prominent Buddhist monks, lending credibility to baseless lies.

The consequences were catastrophic: homes and businesses were destroyed, lives were disrupted, and communal trust shattered. The violence was premeditated, calculated, and politically convenient, designed to inflame fear, division, and suspicion. It was not random chaos—it was a deliberate campaign that traumatized communities, destabilized regions, and undermined social harmony.

The repercussions were not confined to Sri Lanka’s borders. These events seriously damaged the country’s international reputation, drawing widespread condemnation from Human Rights organizations.

This manufactured environment of fear and hatred created fertile ground for the next stage of persecution—the false accusations against Dr. Shafi in 2019—turning him into a scapegoat in a larger political and communal agenda.

The Manufactured Case Against Dr. Shafi

To grasp the gravity of Dr. Shafi’s ordeal, we must revisit 2019 — a year when lies suffocated truth, and an innocent man was thrown into the furnace of political hysteria.

Dr. Shiabdeen Mohamed Shafi, a respected gynecologist at Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, was accused of something unthinkable: forcibly sterilizing Sinhala mothers during Caesarean operations. Rumors swirled that he had secretly robbed 4,000 women of their ability to give birth. In a country where motherhood is sacred, the allegation was designed to ignite fear, outrage, and ethnic hatred.

But the campaign did not end there. He was smeared as a man of “suspicious wealth,” painted as a pawn of extremist networks, and shackled under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Overnight, he was branded the “terrorist doctor,” dragged from his profession, and paraded as a public enemy — while his wife, children, and patients were left to endure unbearable pain and humiliation.

Yet when the fog of hysteria lifted, nothing remained.

* The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) found no evidence of forced sterilizations.

* No extremist links were uncovered.

* No illegal wealth was proven.

Every single charge collapsed under the weight of its own falsehood. On July 25, 2019, he was granted bail. And in November 2024, the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court acquitted him completely, after the Attorney General’s Department admitted there was no evidence whatsoever.

The judiciary went further — the Court of Appeal recognized the injustice and ordered the government to pay him all withheld salary and allowances for the years he was wrongly banished from his post.

Thus, the so-called “mass sterilization case” stands today as nothing more than a monstrous political fabrication — a calculated lie designed to weaponize fear, racism, and religion for cheap gain.

A Calculated Political Conspiracy to Destroy Dr. Shafi

The persecution of Dr. Shafi in 2019 was no accident—it was a deliberate, politically engineered campaign designed to terrorize, humiliate, and silence a Muslim professional in order to secure the Rajapaksas’ grip on power. The anti-Muslim violence of 2018 and the manufactured allegations against Dr. Shafi were part of the same sinister strategy: create fear, inflame communal tensions, and manipulate voters in the wake of the Easter attacks.

At the heart of this campaign was Mahinda Rajapaksa, surrounded by a network of individuals willing to sacrifice justice for political advantage. Key figures included monks Gnanasara and Rathana, politicians like Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, and Prof. Jayasumana, as well as medical professionals such as Dr. Padeniya of the GMOA and Dr. A.M.S. Weerabandara, director of Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. While Dr. Padeniya stayed a silent partner, the CID confirmed that Dr. Weerabandara was fully aware that the sterilization allegations were false but still provided false evidence to push the political agenda. One of the most notorious political figures in Kurunegala, Jonston Fernando, organized large rallies against Dr. Sahfi.

This was no ordinary smear campaign—it was a ‘Womb War,’ described by Rathana and Gnanasara as more dangerous than any terrorist attack. It weaponized the most intimate aspects of human life—women’s reproductive rights—to instill fear and manipulate society. Medical ethics were trampled, truth was silenced, and a respected doctor became a scapegoat for political ambition.

The conspiracy escalated into open calls for violence. One Buddhist prelate demanded that Dr. Shafi be stoned in public, while Buddhist monk Kottawagama Dhammajothi labeled him “a worse terrorist than those who carried out the Easter bombings” and called for punishments reminiscent of ancient royal torture. Newspapers compounded the lie, falsely linking Dr. Shafi to terrorist networks.

The human cost was devastating. Dr. Shafi was summarily arrested, imprisoned, publicly humiliated, and had his professional reputation destroyed. His family life was shattered, his dignity violated, and his very existence weaponized for political gain. All of this was done to secure votes and manipulate fear, revealing the depth of moral corruption within the Rajapaksa campaign.

In truth, this was not merely a personal attack on Dr. Shafi—it was a crime against justice, ethics, and the social fabric of Sri Lanka. The architects of this campaign thought they could destroy a man to win power. Instead, history remembers the cruelty, the lies, and the moral bankruptcy of those who dared to weaponize fear and hatred against an innocent citizen.

Journey of Sterilization Politics by the Mahinda Rajapaksa Clan

The presidential election in Sri Lanka on November 16, 2019, resulted in Gotabaya Rajapaksa being elected with 52% of the vote. It marked the return of the Rajapaksa family after a five-year hiatus. Yet, this victory was fleeting. Gotabaya lacked the wisdom and foresight to consolidate his rule. Ultimately, the Aragalaya uprising pushed him out—a collapse that I firmly believe was the karmic curse born out of what the Rajapaksa clan did to Dr. Shafi.

Since then, the Rajapaksas have faced what can only be described as a political tsunami.

* Namal Rajapaksa slipped back into Parliament through the national list, thanks to J.R. Jayewardene’s constitutional legacy.

* Basil Rajapaksa has fled to the United States and is unlikely ever to return.

* Gotabaya Rajapaksa now lives in a self-imposed prison in Nugegoda, afraid to step into the North.

* Chamal Rajapaksa and his son Shasheendra are implicated in the misuse of public funds.

* The law has already caught up with Mahinda’s three sons, leaving their political futures in uncertainty.

* Mahinda Rajapaksa himself, once the anchor of the Medamulana dynasty, now sits permanently confined to an armchair in Carlton House, reduced to watching the last rites of his political empire. Mrs. Rajapaksa is just a housewife. She may be thinking about her fate.

Even the monks who once stood with them have been unmasked. Figures like Rathana and Gnanasara, who once thrived by fueling communal fires, now cling only to survival under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s (AKD) regime. They know the Rajapaksas can no longer rescue them. They now taste the true meaning of karma. Only Wimal Weerawansa & Gammanpila still bark occasionally, but the echo is faint.

In short, the Rajapaksa clan and their allies have already been politically disarmed. The same family that accused Dr. Shafi of sterilization now finds itself powerless due to fate and law. Those women who were said to have been “forcibly sterilized” were later given birth. It is the Rajapaksas who now stand disempowered, permanently deprived of power, and have been naturally sterilized in politics.

Dr. Shafi: The Man Who Defeated Falsehood

Dr. Shafi is not just a survivor—he is a hero written into the conscience of a nation.

Dragged from his duties, arrested without evidence, caged without justice, and smeared without mercy, he was meant to be broken forever. The Rajapaksa clan thought they could bury him under lies. But instead, they buried their own dynasty.

When Dr. Shafi stood at the Colombo International Book Fair for the launch of Ran Dhoni, he did not speak as a victim. He said as a man who carried truth in his hands and placed it before a nation. His words became a mirror—and in that mirror, Sri Lankans saw both their shame and their redemption.

Through the comments to his speech, the people responded with honesty:

* They apologized for doubting him.

* They condemned the Rajapaksas for their cruelty.

* They embraced Dr. Shafi under the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government, which now stands as a shield for all citizens, equally.

* And they regretted their blind support for Gotabaya Rajapaksa, realizing how falsehood poisoned their judgment.

But the most incredible power of Dr. Shafi’s journey is this: he never left. He could have fled, but he chose to stay—among his people, in his country, on his soil. That is not weakness; that is the unshakable strength of truth along the regime of President Anura Kuamara Dissanayake.

As one writer indicated, the Qur’an declares: “Truth has come, and falsehood has perished. Indeed, falsehood is ever bound to perish.” (Al Qur’an 17:81)

History will not forget. One chapter will bear his name—and in that chapter, Dr. Shafi will stand forever as proof that lies may roar, but truth always reigns.

Summary: Dr. Shafi & Sterilization Politics

Dr. Shiabdeen Mohamed Shafi’s persecution in 2019 was a deliberate political conspiracy orchestrated by the Rajapaksa family and their allies to spread fear, promote communal hatred, and sway public opinion before the presidential election. False allegations of forcibly sterilizing thousands of women, claims of extremist ties, and accusations of illegal wealth were circulated through influential monks, politicians, and medical professionals. Dr. Shafi was swiftly arrested, imprisoned, and publicly shamed, while his family suffered severe trauma. Investigations later found no evidence, and in November 2024, he was fully acquitted. The case exposed the moral corruption and political opportunism of those who sought to destroy an innocent man for power.

The backdrop to this conspiracy was the orchestrated anti-Muslim violence of 2018, which created an environment of fear and division, amplifying communal tensions and weakening social trust. This manufactured atmosphere enabled political actors to target Dr. Shafi, weaponizing lies against both him and the wider Muslim community.

Yet the ultimate irony lies in the fate of the Rajapaksas: the same family that tried to ruin Dr. Shafi has been politically disarmed, their influence diminished, and their allies exposed, while Dr. Shafi emerged vindicated and respected, symbolizing the triumph of truth over deception.

Under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s regime, justice and equality have been restored, ensuring that all citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion, are protected from political exploitation and communal hatred. Dr. Shafi’s journey exemplifies the moral courage and resilience that the nation can now uphold—a stark contrast to the cruelty and corruption of the Rajapaksa era. It is a powerful reminder that truth, integrity, and justice can prevail under principled leadership, and that Sri Lanka’s future is secure when guided by accountability and fairness.

*The writer, among many, served as the Special Advisor to the President of Namibia from 2006 to 2012 and was a Senior Consultant with the UNDP for 20 years. He was a Senior Economist with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (1972-1993). He can be reached via asoka.seneviratne@gmail.com