Alasdair Pa and Uditha Jasinghe

COLOMBO (Reuters). -Streets were quiet Tuesday in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital and commercial center. It was after a day of violence in Colombo that left seven people dead and over 200 others injured.

In the midst of India’s worst economic crisis, protestors gathered in large numbers to attack officials and government representatives.

Nihal Thalduwa (police spokesperson) said, “The situation has calmed down now but there are still reports sporadic turmoil.”

Around 200 people sustained injuries and seven were killed in violence that erupted nationwide. This prompted an island-wide curfew to be enforced until 7:00 AM (0130 GMT) Wednesday.

The spokesman stated that no arrests had been made regarding the violent incidents. He also said that three deaths were due to gunshot injury.

It was an apparent reprisal for an incident that occurred just hours prior to Rajapaksa’s resignation.

After reports that Rajapaksa was contemplating stepping down, Rajapaksa addressed hundreds of his supporters at his residence on Monday.

Many of the men armed with iron bars stormed a protest camp, beat them and set fire to their tents after he made these remarks.

According to Reuters witnesses, police used tear gas and water canon to disperse the skirmishers after initially doing little to stop government supporters.

After Rajapaksa’s resignation was celebrated by thousands, the atmosphere quickly turned tense.

After some of the most violent clashes of the night, protesters tried to take down Temple Trees’ gates in Colombo. Broken glass and shoes littered the streets around the residence.

Eight vehicles that had been torched were partially submerged by a lake as military troops patrolled the region. The ransacked offices were littered with smashed and destroyed files.

Sri Lanka’s unimaginable economic crisis comes after a pandemic hit its tourism incomes. The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (the prime minister’s younger brother) cut taxes and raised oil prices.

After a currency decline, the government turned to multilateral lenders like the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.

Ali Sabry, the former finance minister, resigned along with Rajapaksa on Monday. They said that there are only 50 million dollars worth of available foreign reserves.

In protest for more than a month, thousands marched on the streets demanding fuel and food shortages. The demonstrations had previously been peaceful up until now.