Mawanella Riots

A series of planned attacks on the Muslim community and a mosque, by a Sinhala mob supported by a politician, took place in the town of Mawanella, on April 30 2001, while the police looked on. The Muslims retaliated by stoning the Mawanella Police Station and attacking several Sinhala shops.

The police fired into the air to disperse the protestors resulting in the death of two Muslims and injuring 15 others. In the wake of this incident, Muslim protested in Colombo, Puttalam and Batticaloa by burning tyres on the road and attacking some Sinhala shops. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress blamed the People’s Alliance government for instigating the attacks and for their harsh treatment of Muslims. It withdrew from the Alliance as a mark of protest.