Sri Lankan political crisis: Arjuna Ranatunga arrested
Colombo, Oct 29 (IBNS): Sri Lankan police have arrested deposed oil minister of the nation Arjuna Ranatunga over his role in Sunday's shooting incident which left one person killed, media reports said on Monday.
"Former Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga was arrested by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) a short while ago over the yesterday’s shooting incident at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) premises in Dematagoda," reported Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper.
Ranatunga was also a popular Sri Lankan cricketer before stepping into the world of politics.
He had captained the side to 1996 World Cup victory.
Sunday's violence:
At least one person was killed when security personnel of country's Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Arjuna Ranatunga fired live rounds of bullets on Sunday, media reports said.
The shooting incident reportedly occurred at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) premises in Dematagoda, reports said.
According to police, a tense situation had occurred when a group of protesters had obstructed when the former Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Arjuna Ranatunga arrived at the premises of the CPC this evening, reported Daily Mirror of Sri Lanka.
Mahinda takes charge as PM:
Amid political crisis in the island nation, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday assumed charges as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, media reports said.
"Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed duties as the 22nd Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka a short while ago at the Prime Minister's Office," reported country's Daily Mirror.
Political crisis in island nation:
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.
Rajapaksa was sworn-in on Friday itself.
Relations between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe's political parties, who have governed in coalition since 2015, received setback since both suffered humiliating losses in February's local council elections.
According to reports, they have clashed in cabinet last week over government plans to lease a container terminal to neighbouring India.
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