Police disperse protest against issuance of duty-free vehicle permits for MPs

A tense situation prevailed near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo yesterday when a group of policemen confronted a group of civil society activists protesting against a government move to issue vehicle permits for MPs.

The police forcibly removed a banner held by the protesters and attempted to escort them to the Kollupitiya Police Station, while a senior police officer was also seen engaging in an argument with a protester.

The protesters refused to visit the police station and demanded to know from the police on what grounds action was being taken against them.

The protesters managed to hand over a letter to the President’s Additional Secretary, Kapila Munasinghe, expressing their discontent over the government’s decision to issue duty-free vehicle permits to MPs.