Sri Lanka presidential election: Gunmen fire on buses carrying Muslim Sri Lankan voters
Colombo, Nov 16: Gunmen opened fire on a convoy of buses carrying minority Muslim voters in northwest Sri Lanka on Saturday, hours before polling in presidential elections got under way, police said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but a police official said the attackers had burnt tyres on the road and set up makeshift road blocks to ambush the convoy of more than 100 vehicles.
"The gunmen opened fire and also pelted stones," a police official in Tantirimale, 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Colombo said. "At least two buses were hit, but we have no reports of casualties." Muslims from the coastal town of Puttalam were travelling to the neighbouring district of Mannar, where they were registered to vote, the police official said.
Police reinforcements rushed to the area and cleared the obstructions on the road and escorted the convoy so that passengers could cast their ballots.
The incident came as police and troops were locked in a tense standoff in the Tamil-dominated northern peninsula of Jaffna where residents complained of military road blocks ahead of voting.
Police reported to the independent Election Commission that the army was illegally manning roadblocks that could discourage residents from freely travelling to polling booths on Saturday.
"After bringing to the notice of the army that the road blocks were illegal at a time of a national election, they have dismantled them," police said in a statement.
Police sources said they had also warned local military commanders that any disruption to the election would be reported to courts and offenders prosecuted.
Sri Lanka's minority Tamils and Muslims are seen as crucial to deciding a winner in a close contest between the two front runners -- housing minister Sajith Premadasa and the opposition's Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Local media reports have feared that a strong military presence in Jaffna, the heartland of the island's Tamil minority, could influence voter turnout and favour Rajapaksa, a former defence ministry chief and brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of killing husband during honeymoon in Meghalaya, granted bail
Shillong (PTI): A court in Meghalaya on Tuesday granted bail to Indore resident Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly got her husband killed during their honeymoon in the northeastern state in 2025.
Sonam’s husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, went missing on May 23 last year during the couple’s honeymoon, and his mutilated body was found on June 2 from a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district. Sonam and several others, including her alleged boyfriend, were arrested in the case.
"The accused has been granted bail by the court. However, necessary legal procedures are being followed and the police will continue to pursue the matter as per law," SP Vivek Syiem told PTI.
According to police, Indore-based transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi married Sonam on May 11, 2025, in Indore, and the couple left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20.
The autopsy report of Raja Raghuvanshi indicated that he was hit twice with a sharp object on his head.
Sonam surrendered on June 8 before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district.
In September last year, the Meghalaya Police submitted a 790-page charge sheet, naming eight people, including his wife Sonam and her alleged boyfriend, as the accused.
