2 May 2022 02:34 pm
A tense situation erupted at the Galle Face protest site today as riot police were deployed on ground resulting in protestors engaging in a verbal battle and eventually asking the riot police to leave.
Video footage obtained by Daily Mirror showed that riot police, carrying batons were deployed in the area which led to protestors engaging in a heated argument and the police squads eventually having to leave.
When contacted, senior police officers said that additional security had been deployed in the area as there were attempts by the protestors to set up a stage at the entrance of the presidential secretariat, which would then block any vehicles from going in or coming out of the premises.
The protestors had been urged to avoid doing this and it was as a precautionary measure that the riot police was deployed.
"As long as the protests are peaceful we will not interfere. But they cannot block the entrance of any premises," a senior police official said.
The protestors had informed the police that they were peacefully protesting for days and they should leave the premises without causing any hindrance.
The riot police eventually withdrew all their police from the area. (DSB)