A beauty pageant queen suffered head injuries after a former winner snatched the crown from her head.
Per BBC News, Pushpika De Silva, who won the title of Mrs. Sri Lanka on Sunday, April 4, claims that she was physically hurt when former winner Caroline Jurie aggressively grabbed the tiara from her.
The shocking incident was televised live and shows an irate Jurie citing a rule which prohibits divorcees from winning the contest.
Take a look at this footage of the incident in the video below:She then promptly steals De Silva's crown for herself and places it on the head of a runner-up instead, stating:
"There is a rule that you have to be married and not divorced, so I am taking my first steps in saying that the crown goes to the first runner-up."
A visibly upset De Silva can then be seen rushing off stage.
De Silva later addressed the incident in a lengthy statement posted to her official Facebook account on Monday, April 5.
In it, De Silva wrote:
"The pain of my skull when my crown was snatched from my head by the world married beauty queen, the pain I felt when I lost the crown is more than both."
She continued: "So, if that symbolic crown was snatched from my head, I've already passed the necessary legal action for that injustice and insult, I'm informing you.
"Finally, I say a true queen is not a woman who snatches another woman's crown, but a woman who secretly sets another woman's crown!! [sic]"
The organisers of the beauty pageant have since apologised to De Silva and confirmed that she is separated – not divorced, as was claimed by Jurie.
Commenting on De Silva's alleged injuries, and Jurie's behavior, the national director of Mrs. Sri Lanka World Chandimal Jayasinghe, told BBC News that De Silva's crown will be returned to her, and added: "We are disappointed.
"It was a disgrace how Caroline Jurie behaved on the stage and the Mrs. World organization has already begun an investigation on the matter."
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan police are also looking into the incident, and have questioned Jurie as well as Jayasinghe.
