Police fire 38 warning shots to disperse unruly protesters in Hanguranketha

Officers of Hanguranketha Police on Monday night (June 26) fired dozens of warning shots into the air after more than 200 people tried to storm the police station for not arresting a group of suspects.

According to the police, the group of men and women had behaved in an unruly manner and tried to forcibly enter the Hanguranketha police station expressing their dissatisfaction with ongoing investigations into the death of a resident of the area.

It was observed that most of the unrestrained protesters were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, the police media division said, adding that some of them also hurled stones at the police officers.

As the group was becoming violent, two cops, on the orders of the Hanguranketha Police OIC, fired nearly 38 warning shots into the air to take the tense situation under control.

The police emphasized that the warning shots were fired after taking into account the safety of the officers at the site and possible damages to the police station in the event the unruly protesters forcibly entered the premises.

Following the shooting, the group had stopped attempting to storm the police station and staged a protest on the Hanguranketha-Kandy main road for nearly an hour.

No casualties were reported in the incident, the police said, vowing to identify those who were involved in the unruly protest and to take legal action against them.

On June 25, a resident of Diyathilakapura in Hanguranketha, who was under medical care at the Kandy National Hospital after being brutally assaulted, succumbed to injuries. During police investigations, a female suspect was arrested and remanded in connection with the assault.

However, 08 other suspects who were complicit in the crime are currently at large.

The police said, the group of protesters who tried to storm the Hanguranketha police station last night, were urging the officers to expedite the investigations despite being informed that probes are in progress to apprehend the perpetrators.