Gunmen Open Fire at Bus Carrying Minority Voters in Sri Lanka

Guwahati, November 16, 2019:

A convoy of buses carrying minority Muslim voters in northwest Sri Lanka was fired upon by gunmen on Saturday, reports said. This had happened hours before polling in the presidential elections got underway.

However, no casualties have been reported so far.

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Reportedly, the attackers had burnt tyres on the road and set up makeshift roadblocks to ambush the convoy of more than 100 vehicles. The gunmen also pelted stones, and at least two buses were hit.

Muslims from the coastal town of Puttalam were travelling to the neighbouring district of Mannar, where they were registered to vote.

Later, police reinforcements rushed to the area and escorted the convoy so that passengers could cast their ballots.

Sri Lanka's minority Tamils and Muslims are seen as crucial to deciding a winner in a close contest between the two front runners -- housing minister Sajith Premadasa and the opposition's Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

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Local media of Sri Lanka have feared that a strong military presence in Jaffna, the heartland of the island's Tamil minority, could influence voter turnout and favour Rajapaksa, a former defence ministry chief and brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

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