Massive protest in Sri Lanka mounts pressure on President Rajapaksa to quit
Colombo(PTI): A massive anti-government street protest demanding Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation has turned into an all-night vigil as over 10,000 demonstrators gathered at the Galle Face Green urban park amidst the unprecedented economic crisis in the island nation.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948.
People have been protesting for weeks over lengthy power cuts and shortage of gas, food and other basic goods.
Since mid-day Saturday, the protesters from all walks of life marched into Galle Face where Rajapaksa's secretariat is located.
By evening, the main Galle Road was completely blocked with protesters bringing the traffic to a standstill.
We are still here , a participant at the site had a social media posting by 6 AM on Sunday. They claimed that mobile phone signals had been jammed in the area.
Eyewitnesses said that a section of the protesters had remained for the all-night vigil. They were chanting Go home Gota', urging the President to resign.
This is not a joke, we are here because we have no electricity, gas, fuel and medicine, a protester told reporters.
They must go, they have no solutions, another said, adding that they have no political leaning.
The massive protest was meant to draw a million people to demand the Rajapaksa family's resignation.
The mass scale street protests began after a gathering opposite Rajapaksa's private home was tear gassed on March 31 when several people were arrested and later granted bail.
Since then, the protesters have surrounded the homes of parliamentarians at different places.
The government has accused the Opposition parties, mainly the Janatha Vikmuthi Peramuna (the People's Liberation Front), for organising the demonstrations.
The call for the President's resignation is unconstitutional and the Opposition parties were accused of driving the island into anarchy.
Party sources said that talks on methods to end the current political and economic impasse would be held on Sunday.
The 10-party alliance of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) coalition is due to meet President Rajapaksa to discuss the formation of the all-party interim government.
The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) said that they are to meet to take forward the process of moving a no-confidence motion against the government.
The SJP has started taking signatures of MPs for the no-confidence motion.
President Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, continue to hold power in Sri Lanka, despite their politically powerful family being the focus of public ire.
The President has defended his government's actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven with the island nation's tourism revenue and inward remittances waning.
Sri Lanka is scheduled to start talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 11. The talks would lead to a possible bailout, including assistance on restructuring foreign debt.
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KCOCA invoked against two accused in land dispute murder case
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Police have invoked provisions of the stringent KCOCA against two people in connection with a series of violent crimes, including murder, arising out of a prolonged land dispute in this district, officials said on Monday.
According to police, section 3 of the KCOCA was invoked after an assessment revealed the accused persons' - gangster Kali Yogish and alleged land shark Yogish Acharya- alleged involvement in multiple serious offences over a sustained period.
Accused Yogish has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody by a special KCOCA court in Mysuru, while gangster Kali, who is absconding, is believed to be residing abroad.
The case dates back to December 2022, when Kaup police registered an assault case against the accused duo and their associates for allegedly attacking a person identified as Chandrashekhar and others following a dispute over land ownership.
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The conflict escalated in March 2023 with the murder of a person identified as Sharath Shetty. Police said Shetty was allegedly killed for refusing to support Yogish and for assisting Chandrashekar in the land dispute.
A murder case was registered at Kaup police station, with Chandrashekar cited as a key witness in both cases.
Police further stated that on October 20, 2025, Chandrashekar received a threat at around 8.15 pm, warning him against deposing in court. He was allegedly asked to resolve a financial dispute with Yogish Acharya and threatened with death if he failed to comply.
Based on his complaint, a case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The investigation was supervised by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Karkala subdivision, Harsha Priyamvada.
Accused Yogish Acharya was initially arrested on October 24, 2025, and later released on bail. He was subsequently re-arrested after the invocation of KCOCA and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
