Police in Sri Lanka say that they have arrested four people suspected on an attack following a the protest threat by a cabinet minister.
Superintendent of Police Prishantha Jayakody told BBC Sandeshaya that the suspects were remanded until the 15th of March.”This was a clash between two groups and the situation is under control,” he said.
CWCSLHA.jpgHowever, a government minister maintained that they have provided names of four people ‘who were among a mob that attacked Tamil community in Up Country”. The leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Arumugam Thondaman, had earlier threatened to stage a Hartal if police do not arrest those who were involved in the attack.
He told journalists that a mob attacked Tamils of Indian origin in Hatton after India beat Sri Lanka to the cricket world cup on Saturday.
CWCSLHB.jpgThree people with injuries have been admitted to the Dickoya hospital.
Minister Thondaman said that the mob who first threw fireworks into houses later attacked them.
Several houses in Samanalagama and Hijrapura have been damaged.
The attackers were reportedly disappointed that Pakistan, whom they first supported were out of the World Cup.
“Police must arrest the unruly people who are trying to undermine the communal harmony in Hatton,” said S Muttu Sivalingam, the leader of the CWC.
The minister said that no Sinhala nationals were among the attackers ‘although there were efforts to incite them’. ~ courtesy: BBC Sandeshaya
BBC Sandeshaya