30 March 2010 08:45 am
A tensed situation developed in Rajagiriya a short while ago after police began dismantling a stage erected for a rally scheduled to be held today by UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasingha.
The police had brought in water canons to disperse a mob that had gathered in the area to vent their anger at the move.
The protestors had sat across the street, demanding their equipment back and the police later returned the items in order to defuse the tension.
According to the UNP, the police had also begun removing posters and cut outs of the UNP Leader which were pasted close to the stage. "The police cannot do this as we had already obtained permission from the Elections Commissioner to hold this rally. The police need to give us an explanation," UNP Kotte Organiser Shiral Lakthilaka told Daily Mirror online.
The UNP group at the location has begun putting up the stage once again in preparation for the rally which is scheduled to be held at 3.00 p.m. today.
When contacted, Police Spokesperson S.P. Prashantha Jayakody said that he was unaware of any such incident. (Daily Mirror online)