A political crisis in Sri Lanka took a deadly turn yesterday, with one person killed when a sacked cabinet minister tried to re-enter his office.
Sri Lanka has been plunged into crisis since Friday, when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and swore in ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new prime minister to replace him.
Mr Sirisena said the move was motivated by a plot to kill him and by economic collapse.
Mr Wickremesinghe said it was illegal and that he was still the prime minister.
Violence erupted yesterday at the headquarters of state oil company Ceylon Petroleum Corp, where Arjuna Ranatunga, petroleum minister in the ousted cabinet, tried to re-enter his office.
Police said one of Mr Ranatunga’s security guards opened fire. One person was killed and two wounded.
The guard has been arrested and an investigation launched.