Colombo, October 28: Bodyguards of Sri LankanĀ Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga on Sunday opened fire at a mob, killing at least one person. The shooting took place when a mob, reportedly loyal toĀ President Maithripala Sirisena, tried to abductĀ Arjuna Ranatunga nearĀ head officeĀ of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation in Dematagoda.

According to the police, the crow tried to takeĀ Arjuna Ranatunga hostage, local media reported. Following the incident, aĀ person attached to the security detail of Ranatunga was arrested.

The incident took place hours afterĀ Sri Lankan Parliamentā€™s speaker recognised Ranil Wickremesinghe as the countryā€™s prime minister, saying he has ā€œobtained a mandate to secure democracy and good governanceā€, in a major relief to the embattled UNP leader who was sacked by President Maithripala Sirisena in a dramatic move on Friday night.

Sirisena on Friday night sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new prime minister. Next day, Sirisena suspended parliament till November 16 after Wickremesinghe sought an emergency session to prove his majority.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2018 07:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).