Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapakasa fled the country: Reports

New Delhi: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapakasa fled the country, said reports citing the Island nation's PM's office. Military personnel uses tear gas shells to disperse protestors who scaled the wall to enter Sri Lankan Prime Minister's residence in Colombo.

According to an ANI report, hundreds of furious protestors entered the premises of the Sri Lankan PM's residence in Colombo as they breach the security deployment amid tear-gas shelling.

#WATCH Protesters face to face with military personnel deployed outside Sri Lankan prime minister's residence in Colombo

Ranil Wickremesinghe is a failed prime minister, says a protester. pic.twitter.com/6TtfT9wvky — ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Former Advisor to Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs ministry told ANI, "We want the PM to resign because as per our constitution if the President resigns the PM becomes the acting President. People want both of them to leave. Police took action by tear gas shelling. Army troops moved in."

Sri Lanka | We want the PM to resign because as per our constitution if the President resigns PM becomes the acting President. People want both of them to leave. Police took action by tear gas shelling. Army troops moved in: Former Advisor to Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs ministry pic.twitter.com/Q7Xf4K3Ahf

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

Notably, military personnel were deployed outside Sri Lankan prime minister's residence in Colombo.

#WATCH | Sri Lanka: Air patrolling being conducted by security forces as protestors storm Sri Lankan PM's residence in Colombo pic.twitter.com/HlOjmvFUNf — ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2022

According to media reports, 73-year-old Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards, left aboard a Sri Lankan Air Force plane for Male, the capital of the Maldives. Sri Lankan Air Force confirmed that under the Constitution granted to an Executive President, Rajapaksa was flown to the Maldives onboard an Air Force plane Wednesday morning.

"On government request and in terms of powers available to a President under the Constitution, with complete approval from the ministry of defence, the President, his wife and two security officials were provided a Sri Lanka Air Force plane to depart from the Katunayake international airport for the Maldives in the early hours of July 13," the brief statement said.

India, however, denied "baseless and speculative" media reports that it facilitated the travel of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to the Maldives on a Sri Lankan Air Force plane. "The High Commission categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa out of Sri Lanka," the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka was quoted as saying. 

"It is reiterated that India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and constitutional framework," it said in a tweet.

(With Agency Inputs)