One dead, 84 injured in Sri Lanka protests

Story by  IANS | Posted by  Tripti Nath | Date 14-07-2022
A protester waves the national flag in Sri Lanka
A protester waves the national flag in Sri Lanka

 

Colombo

A 26 year old man died and 84 others were injured in anti-government protests in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, media reports said.
 
The young man died due to breathing difficulties after police lobbed teargas at protesters to disperse them, BBC reported.The injured included protesters who were outside the Prime Minister's office as well as those who were outside parliament later in the evening on Wednesday.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting President of the country, triggering further protests.
The government has imposed a curfew in Colombo district from 12 noon on July 14 (Thursday) to 5 a.m. on July 15 (Friday).
 
The island nation has been witnessing months of protests over food and fuel shortage. Inflation in the crisis-hit country is more than 50 per cent.