Sri Lanka crisis

In addition to the 14 people injured, a Sri Lankan man’s murder has sparked outrage. Police opened fire on protestors, killing him.

On social media, footage of police shooting at protesters in the town of Rambukkana has been extensively circulated.

A large number of people have questioned why live bullets were used to disperse demonstrators.

Both the United Nations ambassador in Sri Lanka and the US and EU envoys have voiced their disapproval of the occurrence.

Since gaining independence from the British in 1948, the country has been through its greatest economic crisis.

More than a hundred thousand protesters have gone to the streets in Sri Lanka after the country ran out of money for critical imports, causing the costs for basic necessities to soar and leading to severe shortages of gasoline, medications, and power.
Despite calls for his resignation from protesters who accuse him of being the root of the issue, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa refuses to go.

Many Sri Lankan citizens were outraged by Rajapaksa’s nomination of a new government on Monday, despite his admission that he committed multiple “mistakes” that led to the current state of affairs

The police claim that they ‘had to fire’

Protests were held in many locations of Sri Lanka on Tuesday after the country’s largest gasoline supplier raised prices by over 65 percent. Wheat flour, for example, saw its price rise on Tuesday.

A journalist said that the protesters in Rambukkana had been demonstrating for roughly 15 hours.

Additionally, thousands of enraged motorists and bus drivers were setting fire to their tyres and obstructing the neighbouring highway, which connects Colombo with Kandy.
At least three of the wounded demonstrators are in serious condition, according to reports. Mihiri Priyangani, the director of the Kegalle Teaching Hospital, told Reuters that the guy who died was most likely shot.

A post-mortem is required to determine the specific cause of death, although we suspect gunshot wounds.

“The demonstrators had to be shot at by the police in order to keep them under control. The tyres had been set on fire, so officers had to use their guns to separate the crowd “Nihal Talduwa, a police spokesperson, informed the BBC of the incident.

Police claim the mob hurled items and stones at them, injuring several officers, but many people wonder why live ammunition was used.
CD Wickramaratne, Sri Lanka’s Inspector General of Police, subsequently made a statement indicating that police had taken action to prevent a group of demonstrators from torching an oil tanker.

These claims have been refuted by demonstrators, and videos of the event have been widely shared on social media. In other places of the nation, videos have emerged showing police assaulting and using tear gas on protestors.

“The people’s right to peaceful protest must be protected,” said US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, who has asked for a “full, transparent inquiry” into the violence.
Mr Rajapaksa’s popularity has risen dramatically since he was elected president in January, pledging stability and a “firm hand” to lead the nation.

His siblings and nephews held various crucial government positions, which some argue are to blame for the current catastrophe.

Apart from President Rajapaksa’s older brother Mahinda, who retained his position as Prime Minister, his new government included a number of party veterans.

Sri Lankan authorities were on their way to the IMF to ask for emergency financial assistance when the most recent episode occurred.

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