K.D. Chaminda Lakshan, a father of two, was fighting for his life when he was wheeled into the Kegalle Teaching Hospital in central Sri Lanka around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old had been waiting at a filling station in the neighbouring town of Rambukkana when angry residents clashed with police over long lines for fuel.
According to the hospital’s director, Mihiri Priyangani, Lakshan was likely hit by live ammunition, which police said they used to scatter the demonstrators. He died later on Tuesday. read more
His death was the first in a wave of turmoil that has engulfed Sri Lanka since last month, raising the prospect of additional violence as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis since 1948.
Thousands of people have turned to the streets in mostly peaceful protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government, enraged by shortages of basic necessities including as medicine and petrol, as well as long power outages and spiralling prices.
The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged tourism, and rising oil prices as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have added to Sri Lanka’s financial troubles.
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