NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday voiced concern over the arrest of former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, describing the charges against him as “trivial” and urging Colombo to refrain from the”politics of vengeance.” “Concerned about the detention of former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on what, on the face of it, seem trivial charges. His health issues have already seen him taken to the prison hospital,” Tharoor, a former diplomat, wrote on X while sharing an old photograph with the Sri Lankan leader.

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“I call on the government of Sri Lanka — while fully respecting that this is their internal matter — to abjure the politics of vengeance and treat their former President with the respect and dignity that he deserves, after his decades of service to the nation,” he added.Also Read | Sri Lanka’s ex-president hospitalized: Wickremesinghe rushed to ICU; condition now ‘stable’The 76-year-old Sri Lankan politician was arrested on Friday on allegations of state funds’ misuse, as reported by Newswire Lanka.His arrest is linked to allegations of using state funds to cover the expenses for a private visit to London, where he had attended a university graduation ceremony.Investigators allege that the trip, which formed part of a wider overseas tour, was not an official engagement but was financed with government money.Wickremesinghe, who also served as the island nation’s prime minister, assumed office as its interim president in July 2022 following Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s removal. He lost the presidential elections to Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of National People’s Power, in September 2024.