Following a directive by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva has ordered Army formations across the country to keep only the State insignia and the Army crest on display in all Army offices, instead of any other portraits.

"The Commander of the Army accordingly instructed the Directorate of Personnel Administration in the Army to keep all Army establishments informed of this directive with immediate effect for necessary action. The Army was among one of the firsts to implement the Presidential directive," the Army said in a statement.

Rajapaksa ordered to remove all photographs of the President from government offices and replace them with the emblem of the state.