Opposition hands motion to Speaker seeking parliamentary inquiry over death of Kavatissa

The Opposition has submitted a motion calling for the appointment of a special Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of iconic tusker ‘Kavantissa’.

The motion was handed over to the Speaker of Parliament in Colombo on Friday (23) by Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, alongside a group of opposition lawmakers.

The proposed committee aims to establish whether state wildlife authorities and relevant government bodies fulfilled their statutory duties in protecting the animal prior to its demise.

Speaking during the submission, Premadasa urged parliamentarians to treat the loss of the revered elephant as a non-partisan issue and called for immediate legislative measures to safeguard the island’s diminishing wild tusker population.

He proposed that the investigative panel operate under a joint co-chairmanship representing both government and opposition benches, drawing a parallel with the non-partisan structure currently utilised by the parliamentary committee on climate change.