'Blatantly false': India on reports about sending troops to crisis-hit Sri Lanka

The clarification was said to be issued after reports about India planning to send its soldiers to Sri Lanka to help the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government quell the unrest surfaced.

India has denied reports that New Delhi is preparing to send its troops to Sri Lanka - the country in the grips of a severe crisis as it grapples with the economic downturn and anger among people over the shortage of fuel and other essential commodities. "High Commission strongly denies blatantly false and completely baseless reports in a section of the media that India is dispatching its soldiers to Sri Lanka," an official statement on Twitter read on Saturday. "The High Commission also condemns such irresponsible reporting and expects the concerned to desist from spreading rumours," it added.

A person takes a photo as a demonstrator walks near a bus that was set on fire at the top of the road to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence during a protest against him. (File image) (REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte)

The clarification was said to be issued after reports about India planning to send its soldiers to Sri Lanka to help the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government quell the unrest surfaced.

India has, however, lent a helping hand to Sri Lanka amid unrest in the country. On Saturday, India sent a consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Sri Lanka to help ease the power crisis in the island country which is witnessing acute power cuts.

"More fuel supplies delivered by #India to #SriLanka! A consignment of 40,000 MT of diesel under #Indian assistance through Line of Credit of $500 mn was handed over by the High Commissioner to Hon'ble Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge in #Colombo today," the Indian embassy in Colombo tweeted.

"This is the fourth consignment under the LoC. Fuel delivered from #IndianWells to people of #SriLanka in the last 50 days is about 2,00,000T," it added.

Meanwhile, the crisis-hit Sri Lankan government has imposed a 36-hour curfew ahead of a planned anti-government rally over the worst economic crisis in the island nation that has hit common people.

The island-wide curfew has been imposed with effect from 6 pm Saturday to 6 am Monday (April 4), local time, news agency PTI quoted the information department as saying.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given the directive under the Public Security Ordinance regulations, it said. Rajapaksa has also declared a nationwide public emergency after angry protesters --demanding his resignation – gathered outside his residence in the capital Colombo and clashed with police. During the protest which took place on March 31, 10 people were reportedly injured including journalists. Sri Lanka's economy has been in a free fall since the Covid-19 pandemic due to the crash of the tourism sector.