If India Wants Political Stability in Colombo, It Must Act in Interest of Sri Lankan People

On May 9, the largely peaceful anti-Rajapaksa protests in Sri Lanka took a violent turn. In the resulting violence, nine people died, including two policemen, with the agitating crowd burning down the home of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Subsequently, while the Prime Minister resigned, his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa remained the President. Facing nationwide civil unrest, the government imposed a curfew on May 9 and issued shoot at sight orders on those engaging in violence. Though the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister has provided a semblance of political stability in the country, the protesters have refused to budge from their demand for the resignation of President Gotabaya.