Coronavirus scare triggers riot in Sri Lankan jail, 1 inmate killed
Colombo: The coronavirus scare triggered a riot in a Sri Lankan jail on Saturday, leading to a gunfight which left one inmate killed and five others injured, officials said.
According to prison rights activists, the prisoners were demanding their release due to the threat to their lives in view of COVID-19 which has infected 77 people in the country.
The protests led to a riot inside the jail situated in the north central town of Anuradhapura.
"There was unrest in the prison this afternoon following a protest by inmates. When the prison officials were countering the riot to bring it under control, there was an attempt by the inmates to flee the jail. The resultant shooting killed one while five others were injured," the police said in a statement.
The government denied that any inmate at Anuradhapura jail has tested positive.
The Sri Lankan government on Saturday announced the extending of the two-day curfew after five fresh coronavirus cases were reported, taking the total number of infected people to 77.
Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said that 245 more cases are under observation.
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.
Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
