A Muslim man was killed in Sri Lanka, despite a nationwide curfew imposed on Monday night after anti-Muslim riots spread to three districts north of the capital in a violent backlash against Easter suicide bombings. police said.
According to the sources, a 45-year-old man died shortly after admission to a hospital.
“Mobs had attacked him with sharp weapons at his workshop,” the official said.
On Monday Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the public not to believe rumours and warned that civil unrest will stretch the already thinly deployed security forces.
“I appeal to all citizens to remain calm and not be swayed by false information. Security forces are working tirelessly to apprehend terrorists and ensure the security of the country, but each time there is civil unrest, we increase their burden and hamper ongoing investigations,” Wickremesinghe said in a tweet.
Residents in the North-Western Province were ordered to stay indoors after Christian-led mobs torched dozens of Muslim-owned shops, mosques and vehicles on May 12 and 13.
A state of emergency has been in place since the bombings. On April 21, six near-simultaneous suicide bombs exploded at hotels and churches across the country. Over 250 people were killed and 500 wounded in the wave of the attacks which stunned the world and the country.