63 held in Lanka following clashes

Sixty-three people were arrested following violent clashes in southern Sri Lanka yesterday, local police said.The violent clashes erupted between the police and protesters yesterday afternoon in Kataragama, around 280km away from capital Colombo, when a police official allegedly gunned down a youth who was riding a motorcycle and had defied police orders.Police said the youth had refused to stop for police inspection despite warnings.Following the youth’s death, a large mob had attacked the local police station. Security had been tightened in the area.Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekera said the policeman who had allegedly shot the youth had been arrested while police chief Pujith Jayasundara had deployed a special team to probe the incident.