XtraTime Web Desk: The first match of the Nidahas Trophy 2018 is scheduled to be played in Colombo today between the hosts Sri Lanka and India. Ahead of that there have been reports of curfew and an emergency being called in Sri Lanka, though the chaos happened in Kandy and not in Colombo. After this incident the BCCI released a statement regarding the recent scenario.
“This is to notify everyone that after talking to concerned security personnel (Ministerial security division – in charge of team security) we have understood that the situation is completely normal in Colombo. If at all there is any update on the same we shall notify,” said BCCI in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Lankan government has declared a state of emergency for 10 days to stop communal violence, a government spokesman said today. As per reports a mass crowed of Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island’s central district of Kandy. The tension has been there between the two communities in Sri Lanka since 2017, where some Buddhist groups were saying that the Muslims are forcing people to change their religion and become Muslim.
Some Buddhist nationalist have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise. “At a special cabinet meeting, it was decided to declare a state of emergency for 10 days to prevent the spread of communal riots to other parts of the country,” the spokesman, Dayasiri Jayasekara, told Reuters.
“It was also decided to take stern action against people who are instigating violence through Facebook,” he added, referring to postings on social media. The government has taken strong steps to tackle the situation and sent military and top police officials after a few people burnt a Muslim-owned shop.