A top Sri Lankan police officer was arrested Wednesday after ordering his subordinates to fire on anti-government protesters, in clashes that left one man dead and nearly 30 others wounded.
Last week's demonstration in the town of Rambukkana was one of many around the country protesting a rise in fuel prices in the island nation, which is suffering through a crippling economic crisis.
Police used tear gas and live rounds to disperse the crowd, which had blockaded a busy highway and railway line linking the capital Colombo with the central city of Kandy.
Senior Superintendent K.B. Keerthiratne was taken into custody on a murder warrant over the incident, during which a 42-year-old father of two was shot dead.
"The magistrate held that the officer was responsible for giving illegal orders to fire live ammunition," a court official told AFP.
"Four constables who fired at the crowd are also being arrested."
Police had initially maintained that the crowd attempted to torch a fuel tanker and officers fired to prevent a bigger calamity.
But the presiding magistrate ruled that evidence presented to the court showed the shooting took place after the demonstration had been brought under control.
Sri Lanka has seen weeks of protests over rising living costs and acute shortages of food, fuel and other essentials.
Crowds have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over mismanagement of the economic crisis, the country's worst since independence from Britain in 1948.
The painful downturn took hold after the coronavirus pandemic walloped vital revenue from tourism and remittances.
The government has defaulted on its $51 billion external debt and opened talks with the International Monetary Fund for an emergency bailout.
Utilities unable to pay for fuel imports have imposed lengthy daily blackouts to ration power, while long lines snake around service stations as people queue for diesel, petrol and kerosene.
Hospitals are short of vital medicines and the government has appealed to citizens abroad for donations.
Trade unions have announced they will stage a one-day strike on Thursday to protest runaway inflation.
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)