Inspector-General of Police Chandana D. Wickramaratne claims the Police had used “minimum force” during the protest in Rambukkana yesterday(19).
The Police had opened fire on the protesters killing one person and injuring at least 24 others.
Issuing a statement, the IGP said that the Police had to use minimum force to prevent a major incident. He said the Police had to prevent the protesters from setting fire to a truck transporting 30,000 litres of fuel.
The Police had earlier opened fire on a group of protesters in Rambukkana killing one person and injuring a number of others. Police Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nihal Thalduwa said that the Police had opened fire after initially using tear gas.
According to the Police, the protesters had blocked the railway track and protested in the area for several hours. The Police had advised the protesters to cleat the tracks but the request was rejected.
The Police media unit said that a number of policemen were also injured in the incident.