Sri Lanka policeman sacked for playing piano while president fled: ‘He was our Nero’ he said of ex-leader
- Constable Dayaratne was sent to protect the presidential residence the day it was stormed by protesters who forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country
- Instead, he sat at a grand piano and played a song to the crowd streaming through the rooms of the old colonial-era building
Sri Lanka’s police force said on Friday that it had sacked an officer who entertained protesters with an impromptu piano performance after they stormed the island nation’s presidential compound last year.
Constable Dayaratne was deployed to help protect the colonial-era residence on the day it was taken over by protesters who forced then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country.
Instead, he sat at a grand piano in the compound and played a song to the crowd streaming through its rooms.
“Dayaratne was on social media playing the piano while the building was being vandalised,” a senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
“He was our Nero,” the officer added, referring to the ancient Roman emperor said to have played the fiddle while the city burned in a weeklong fire.
Police authorities concluded that the constable had breached discipline after a lengthy investigation.
