Live Desk: India on Wednesday quelled rumors that it helped embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flee the island nation for the Maldives, hours before he was to step down amid violent protests over the country's worst economic crisis since independence, reports UNB from New Delhi.

In a statement on Twitter, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lankan capital Colombo said that it "categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recently reported travel of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa out of Sri Lanka".

Reiterating its support for the island nation, the High Commission tweeted, "India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions, and constitutional framework."

Later, the Sri Lankan military said in a statement that the 73-year-old president, his wife, and two bodyguards left the main international airport near Colombo aboard a Lankan Air Force jet early on Wednesday. The armed forces attributed the decision to the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry.

The outgoing president's unceremonious departure in the face of the violent protests marks the end of the powerful Rajapaksa clan that has dominated Sri Lankan politics for the past 20 years and is credited for the elimination of the rebel Tamil Tigers.

Dhaka, 13 July (campuslive24.com)//BIT