Sri Lanka: The situation in Sri Lanka is getting worse due to the economic crisis. Hundreds of people tried to break into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence in Colombo on Thursday night. The police opened fire to control them, in which 10 people were injured. Five policemen were also reported to have been injured in clashes between protesters and security forces last night. So far 45 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.
According to the local media of Sri Lanka, Senior DIG Ajit Rohana says that there will be a police curfew in the Western Province from midnight today till 6 am tomorrow. Also, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued a gazette declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka with effect from April 1, 2022.
Due to uncontrollable inflation and a shortage of essential commodities, people’s life has become difficult. The protesters are demanding the resignation of the President. Protests are intensifying over the attitude of the Sri Lankan government towards dealing with uncontrollable inflation and shortage. The worst situation in the country after independence is being told. Curfew was imposed in Colombo after the situation worsened on Thursday night, although it was lifted from Friday morning. The debris of the vehicle was seen lying after the arson in the areas around the Rashtrapati Niwas. To control the protesters, the police first fired tear gas and used water cannons. Rajapaksa was not at his residence at the time of the protest. The sloganeering crowd demanded Rajapaksa to quit. The situation in the country is continuously deteriorating.
The Sri Lankan government has termed the violent demonstration outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a terrorist activity. However, after the protests, the overnight curfew in Colombo was lifted on Friday morning. Due to the poor economic condition of Sri Lanka, people have started protesting against the President. The Sri Lankan government blamed the extremist elements associated with the opposition for this demonstration. Many extremists are among those arrested.
There has been a severe fuel shortage in Sri Lanka. Due to the non-availability of diesel at petrol pumps, the movement of public buses and other vehicles has come to a standstill. Two-thirds of the country’s buses and vehicles are operated by the private sector. Their operators say that from today even isolated buses will not be able to run.
