Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s 2016 Facebook post on parent’s bearing the brunt of children’s pain ha resurfaced on social media in the wake of heartbreaking images captured near the Mahara prison yesterday.

Parents and family members of the prisoners gathered near the prison premises yesterday pleading the state authorities to ensure the safety of their loved ones. Some parents were seen weeping at the feet of police officers urging some solution. The incident took place after a major riot broke out at the Mahara prison killing over 10 inmates and leaving over 100 injured.

As the photographs of these parents went viral on social media, a 2016 Facebook post by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on the parents’ love for their children resurfaced on social media. The Facebook post contained a photograph of Rajapaksa who was looking at his son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, being taken away in a prison bus with tears welling in his eyes. The post said, “It’s parents who bear the brunt of children’s pain”.

Many who shared the Prime Minister’s 2016 post on social media said it was ironic that the parents of prisoners had to go through this pain when Rajapaksa’s government was in power. Some went on to ask if Prime Minister Rajapaksa cannot empathize with the pain of the parents who fear for the safety of their children.