Photos: Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after anti-Muslim violence

Sri Lanka on Tuesday declared a state of emergency as Buddhist mobs ransacked Muslim properties in Kandy. President Maithripala Sirisena promulgated the order for a limited period in the country by bringing into force Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance.

Updated on: Mar 07, 2018 12:42 PM IST

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Sri Lankan army and police stand near a vandalized mosque in Digana, Kandy. A nationwide emergency was imposed on Tuesday after mob attacks against the Muslim population, in violence that has highlighted the country’s fragility as it recovers from decades of civil war. Tension brewed between ethnic groups over the past year, with Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of propagating forced conversion. (Pradeep Pathiran / AP)

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Sri Lanka's Special Task Force and Police officers stand guard near a burnt house after clashes in Digana. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena declared a state of emergency for a limited period of 10 days in the country by bringing into force Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance, the president’s media division said. (REUTERS)

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Sri Lankan police commandos patrol next to debris from a damaged shop in Kandy. Tensions erupted after a Sinhalese truck driver was killed on Saturday by a group of Muslim men in what has been described as a road rage incident. Following that, Buddhist mobs swept through the hill town of Kandy on Monday, burning at least 11 Muslim-owned shops and homes. (AFP)

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Sri Lankan army soldiers guard a road in Digana. More than two dozen arrests have been made so far following violence which claimed two lives. “We have decided to declare a state of emergency to ensure these clashes and tensions don’t spread elsewhere in the country,” said Dayasiri Jayasekera, a government spokesman. (REUTERS)

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The regulations enacted by the promulgation of emergency provide the Sri Lankan police with powers to bring the prevailing situation under control. The President instructed the police to impartially, deal with those engaged in criminal activities and those causing or attempting to cause ethnic and religious tensions, irrespective of their ethnic or religious identities and political affiliations. (Pradeep Pathiran / AP)