Anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka claim first death despite curfew

The man was attacked with sharp weapons his carpentry workshop.

A Sri Lankan security personnel looks on as he stands guard at a checkpoint on a roadside in Colombo on May 13, 2019. - Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide night curfew on May 13, after anti-Muslim riots spread to at least three districts just north of the capital in a violent new backlash against the Easter suicide bombings. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI / AFP)

New Delhi: The anti-Muslim riots that broke in Sri Lanka as a direct fallout of Easter Sunday bombings, claimed the life of a Muslim, despite a nationwide curfew, As per police officials, a 45-year-old Muslim man was slashed to death in Sri Lanka on Monday- the first death from the riots, news agency AFP reported. The man died shortly after he was admitted to a hospital in Puttalam district during the riots. The man was attacked with sharp weapons while he was working at his carpentry workshop. His death was reported after authorities ordered the entire country placed under a night curfew and police were ordered to use maximum force to deal with troublemakers, the report said. The police have issued stern warning against rioters and constables have been issued with orders to use maximum force. The warning came after violent mobs torched Muslim-owned shops and vehicles. The mobs also vandalised homes and mosques with sticks and blunt weapons. The riots came within a month of the devastating string bombings at Sri Lanka’s high-end hotels and churches on Eater Sunday killing hundreds of people.