One person was killed while 10 others were wounded after the Sri Lankan police opened fire at agitators protesting against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government for the ongoing economic crisis in the island nation.
This is the first time since the beginning of the protests when the Sri Lankan police fired at the protesters. According to AFP, the police fired live rounds to displace a crowd that had blockaded a highway in the central town of Rambukkana, 95 km from the capital city of Colombo.
The protesters, who have called for the resignation of the Rajapaksa government, had turned violent and pelted stones at officials forcing them to open fire to disperse the mob, said a senior policeman.
Sri Lanka is facing the biggest economic crisis since it got its independence from Britain in 1948. Thousands of people are protesting against the rising prices of food items and essential commodities, demanding resignation of the Rajapaksa government.
Amid this, Prime Minister Rajapaksa on Tuesday proposed to restore the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to curb the powers of his younger brother amd President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and empower the Parliament.
The 19A adopted in 2015 pruned presidential powers by empowering Parliament above the executive president. It was scrapped Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the Presidential elections in 2019.
Addressing Parliament on the first day after the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, 76-year-old Rajapaksa said it is important that a solution to the multiple crises is found on a solid economic, political and social foundation.
“I believe a constitutional change must take place. As a start, I believe implementing the 19th Amendment with necessary and timely changes is the best short term solution for the current situation in the country,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“It is my belief that 19A has to be revived with certain amendments as a short term solution.”
