Sri Lanka continues to witness protests, Central Bank Governor resigns
The country witnessed a huge protest where hundreds of people gathered near the presidential secretariat of crisis-hit Sri Lanka.
Colombo: Even after the Sri Lankan government imposed an emergency in the island nation which gives power to the military to arrest any protesters, the people of the country continue to defy the orders in order to hold protests.
The country witnessed a huge protest where hundreds of people gathered near the presidential secretariat of crisis-hit Sri Lanka.
The mass gathering led to the blocking of the roads. The protest intensified after the resignation of the entire Lankan cabinet.
Thousands of people who were standing on the road late on Monday evening were waving posters and chanting slogans to the beat of drums.
The road outside the secretariat is one of the few well-lit places in the capital city Colombo.
It may be noted that after the country witnessed severe economic slowdown and people holding protests, the Lankan cabinet resigned en masse.
The people are angry with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and demanding his resignation as the people are holding him responsible for the economic crisis that has crippled the nation. After the protest, all 26 ministers aside from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down, however, PM chose to remain in his seat.
After the cabinet, Governor of Sri Lankan central bank Ajith Cabraal also resigned from the post.
The exit of the cabinet came as public anger swelled against the Rajapaksa family. On Sunday, thousands across the island nation defied a weekend curfew to protest demanding the ouster of the Rajapaksa family.
Though the 36-hour long curfew imposed on Saturday has been lifted, the country is still under a state of emergency.
The people in Lanka hit the streets last week as the prices of essential items surged, fuel became scarce, life-saving drugs unavailable and cities struggled under hours of blackout.
The government had blocked access to social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube. The ban, however, was lifted on Sunday afternoon after the PM's son Namal Rajapaksa spoke against it.
