Sri Lanka crisis: Protestors set ablaze the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe

New Delhi: Amid massive unrest in Sri Lanka, protestors set ablaze the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

#WATCH | Sri Lanka: Amid massive unrest in the country, protestors set ablaze the private residence of Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe#SriLankaCrisis pic.twitter.com/BDkyScWpui

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2022

"Protesters have broken into the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and have set it on fire," said the Lankan Prime Minister's Office in a statement.

Meanwhile, Anti-government protesters in thousands in Sri Lanka on Saturday stormed into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence in central Colombo’s high-security Fort area after breaking the barricades, as they demanded his resignation over the island nation’s worst economic crisis in recent memory.

At least 30 people, including two policemen, were injured in clashes between security personnel and protesters – some of them holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets – who had gathered in large numbers in the Fort area, demanding President Rajapaksa’s resignation.

Dramatic visuals from outside Gotabaya Rajapakse’s residence showed a sea of demonstrators storming into the compound, tearing down security cordons placed by police, taking a dip in the swimming pool and romping through his kitchen and home.

Amid the turmoil, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday summoned an emergency meeting of all political parties and also requested the speaker to summon parliament, a statement from his office said.

The anti-government protests in April forced the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder brother of President Rajapaksa, in May.

Protesters who climbed the walls of the President’s House are now occupying it without damaging any property or indulging in acts of violence.

At least 30 persons, including two police officers, were injured during the ongoing protests and were admitted to the National Hospital in Colombo.

Also read: Watch | Protestors swim in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s pool, enter kitchen after storming his official residence

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