President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ran away from home, protesters surrounded the official residence, PM called an emergency meeting
Protesters in Sri Lanka, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, broke into his official residence here on Saturday by removing police barricades. According to reports, the police used tear gas to stop the protesters from entering the presidential residence on Saturday morning and fired water cannons and also opened fire on them. However, the protesters broke into the presidential residence by removing the barricades and created a ruckus.
Important information related to the case
- Controversial Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence in the capital on Saturday. A top defense source informed AFP about this. Earlier, television footage showed protesters storming the leader’s residence, demanding his resignation. In such a situation, seeing himself in danger, he fled from the spot.
- “The President was taken to a safe place,” the source said. He said the soldiers opened fire in the air to prevent the angry mob from dominating the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- The protesters created a ruckus in the house. At least seven people, including two policemen, were injured in the clash between the protesters and the police. Thousands of protesters broke through the police barricades blocking the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Rajapaksa has been kept since late March, when island-wide protests demanded his resignation.
- The police fired tear gas shells at the protesters. However, despite all this, some protesters entered the residence and started swimming in the President’s swimming pool.
- Here, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called an emergency meeting of party leaders to discuss the solution to the situation in the country. He is also requesting that the Speaker call the Parliament.
Let us tell you that after increasing pressure from top lawyers’ union, human rights groups and political parties in Sri Lanka, the police on Saturday lifted the curfew ahead of the anti-government protests. This curfew was imposed in seven divisions in the western province of the country, including Colombo, to prevent anti-government protests. - According to the police, curfew was imposed in seven police divisions in the Western Province which include Negombo, Kelaniya, Nugegoda, Mount Lavinia, North Colombo, South Colombo and Colombo Central. This curfew was implemented from 9 pm on Friday till further notice.
Announcing the announcement on Friday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) CD Vikramaratne said, “People residing in areas where police curfew has been imposed should remain in their homes and strict action will be taken against those violating the curfew.” Will go. - The Bar Association of Sri Lanka opposed the police curfew, terming it illegal and a violation of fundamental rights.
- “Such a curfew is clearly illegal and a violation of the fundamental rights of the people of our country,” the bar association said in a statement. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka had also called the police curfew a gross violation of human rights.