MAIN ISSUES IN SOUTH ASIA Friday, 21 December 2018
APAC Assistance Director Paul Quaglia discusses South Asia security issues for 21 December, 2018.
INDIA
Yesterday the high court of Kolkata cleared the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to conduct rallies and road shows in West Bengal. The state government had refused permission for the rallies earlier this month due to concerns of communal unrest. The BJP has proposed tentative new dates from December 28 to 31 for the statewide rallies. The court has directed the police to deploy adequate force to maintain law and order during the rallies.
A mob in Haryana had set two-vehicles on fire blocking the Karnal-Indri state highway near Janesaro village yesterday afternoon. The mob violence started after an accident on the highway that killed two children and injured 10 others. The accident allegedly occurred due to an overloaded transport vehicle which lost control and collided with the school bus.
SRI LANKA
Police fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse a protest march organized by the Inter-University Students Federation yesterday evening. The university students staged the protest at Technical Junction in the Maradana area of Colombo. The protest was against the alleged student suppression in the Rajarata and Agneediga universities.