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Fact Check
An image circulating on social media shows National People’s Power (NPP) MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi bowing to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi has publicly denied being the person in the photo and stated that she did not attend the event. She also warned of legal action against those sharing the misleading post.
A social media post carrying an image of a woman bowing to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accompanied by an audio clip of NPP MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi’s pre-election speech accusing the Rajapaksa family of corruption, is going viral on TikTok, insinuating that the woman in the image is MP Kotthahachchi.
The same image is being widely circulated on Facebook, YouTube, and X as well. These posts can be seen here, here, here, here, and here.
The claim originated from a recent photo album posted on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official Facebook page, documenting the wedding of Radhishan Siripathana and Manushi Senaratne. One of the photos shows a woman bowing to Rajapaksa.
Social media users falsely claimed that the woman in the photo is NPP MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi, spreading misinformation across platforms. The insinuation appears politically motivated, given that Kottahachchi has been a vocal critic of the Rajapaksa administration. During her 2024 election campaign, she gained prominence for alleging that the Rajapaksa family had stashed millions of rupees in Uganda and pledged to recover these funds, as part of a broader initiative to establish an institution for asset recovery and address public fund abuse. The false association seems intended to discredit her reputation or undermine her anti-corruption stance.
The social media post claiming that NPP MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi is bowing to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is false. MP Kottahachchi has publicly denied being the person in the photo, stating that she did not attend the wedding in question. Facial comparison tools have also confirmed that there is no match between the woman in the viral image and MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi.
FAQs
Q1. Is the woman bowing to Mahinda Rajapaksa in the viral image NPP MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi?
No. MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi has denied being the woman in the photo, and independent verification confirms this claim is false.
Q2. Where was the original photo taken?
The photo was taken during the wedding ceremony of Radhishan Siripathana and Manushi Senaratne and was posted on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official Facebook page.
Q3. How was it confirmed that the woman in the photo is not MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi?
Facial comparison tools, such as ProFaceFinder and ToolPie, were used to analyze the image and confirmed that the woman in the viral photo does not match MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi.
Our Sources
Facebook post with photo gallery, official page of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, October 29, 2025.
Public statement by MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi on Facebook, October 30, 2025.
News report published on Newswire website on October 30, 2025.
News report published on Hiru News website on October 30, 2025.
News report published on Daily Mirror website on October 30, 2025.
ProFaceFinder – face comparison tool.
ToolPie – face comparison tool.
False
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