Colombo [Sri Lanka], April 30 (ANI): A Sri Lankan Court has ordered the remand of former Kegalle Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), who was arrested for shooting at unarmed protesters in Rambukkana, local media reported.

On Friday, Colombo Additional Magistrate Shalini Perera regarding the Rambukkana incident, ordered to remand the former SSP in charge of Kegalle Police Division K. B. Keerthiratne until May 6, 2022, Colombo Page reported.

Meanwhile, the three constables, who have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a protester during the Rambukkana protest, have been remanded until May 13 when they were produced before the Theldeniya Magistrate's Court.

On Thursday, the former SSP was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Colombo while three constables were arrested at Kundasale in Kandy, reported Colombo Page.

The CID arrested the four police officials on the order of the Kegalle Magistrate Vasana Navaratne. Magistrate Navaratne was ordered to immediately arrest suspects and produce them in court.

SSP Kirthiratne said that he ordered his officers to use minimum force and shoot below the knee to quell the unrest in Rambukkana on April 19, as reported by Colombo Page.

Earlier, CID arrested a 28-year old man as the suspect who set fire to the container carrying fuel during the protest in Rambukkana.

According to the police, they spotted a suspect wearing a green t-shirt crossing the railway tracks and throwing the projectile at the bowser which was parked across the railway track. Police further said that the suspect was walking away from the incident coolly during the Rambukkana protest.

The suspect was arrested from Rambukkana and he would be produced before the Kegalle Magistrate court today, reported Daily Mirror.

A protester was killed in Rambukkana after the police opened fire on the protesters who agitated over the scarcity of fuel and also demanded to reduce the new increased fuel price.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the people, resulting in massive protests over the government's handling of the situation.

The economic situation has led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. (ANI)