Police fires tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesting university students near the Parliament Roundabout in Battaramulla.
This was after the protesters failed to heed police orders and attempted to continue to march towards the Parliament.
The students later dispersed after protesting for nearly four hours.
The anti-SAITM protest march, organised by the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF), commenced from near the University of the Visual & Performing Arts in Colombo this morning and caused severe traffic congestion as they marched towards the Parliament.
The protest march had caused severe traffic congestion along the roads used by the protesting university students.
The university students are protesting against the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (Special Provisions) Bill, which seeks to lay down the national policy relating to the absorption of students registered with the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU).
The bill was tabled in parliament on June 8 following the granting of Cabinet approval for 980 SAITM students to be absorbed by the KDU.
