A fresh controversy has arisen with N.V. Thivakaran, a person who identifies himself as a relative of the Rajapaksa family, taking photographs and videos of women at the coffee shop of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, while the hotel staff turned a blind eye.

A victim of this harassment shared her account on social media drawing severe criticism from many quarters over the irresponsible conduct of the hotel staff and the management. She said the person in question secretly videoed women at the coffee shop and shared the footage on WhatsApp groups.

However, in the face of mounting criticism, the hotel issued a public statement saying they had taken appropriate action to "get in touch" with the person in question and ensure that the women visiting the hotel are safe.

The controversy took a new turn this morning with Rohitha Rajapaksa, the youngest son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his wife Tatyana Lee distancing themselves from Thivakaran, the culrpit of the incident.

"N. V. Thivakaran "was" married to my mother-in-law, but she, my wife (his stepdaughter), or I do not closely associate him for many years now," Rajapaksa tweeted.

"The accused is solely responsible for his own actions, and I strongly encourage the management of Cinnamon Grand and respective law enforcement authorities to do justice by the victims, independent of the accused's social status," he also added.