Police curfew declared in Kandy district

A police curfew was declared in the Kandy administrative district today following clashes between two groups in the Digana area, Police said;

The curfew will be effective until 6.00 a.m. Tuesday.

Police said  mobs had attacked shops in the Digana town prompting a curfew. 

Police sources said that though tension had been rising in the area for the past week senior police officers based in Kandy had failed to take action by deploying additional personnel in the area in the past few days.

Reports in the area said though the incidents were reported only in Digana, the curfew was clamped in the district to prevent any further incidents.

Meanwhile Police used tear gas on a mob which gathered around the Theldeniya police station.

Last week an employee of a private company was assaulted by a group of men from the area following a dispute over a traffic accident.

The victim, M.G.Kumarasinghe succumbed to his injuries at the Kandy hospital and his funeral was due to take place today evening.

He was a resident of Medamahanuwara and those in his community had claimed that the police had failed to apprehend all persons involved in the attack against the resident.

However, police said they arrested some of the suspects and took a three-wheeler into custody.

Police have now called in the STF into the area.