Clothing shop attacked

     A  mob stormed a clothing store in Pepiliyana Town in the outskirts of Colombo yesterday night.

The shop came under attack from an unidentified group including Buddhist monks   The mob attacked a showroom of the Fashion Bug clothing chain outside Colombo late evening, setting merchandise on fire and smashing several vehicles parked outside. The excuse used to attack this complex was that a 15 year old girl had been raped inside the building.

At least one employee of the store was rushed to hospital with a head injury along with several journalists and photographers who were wounded as the mob tried to grab their equipment.

The latest attack came a day after Sri Lankan police set up a hotline to tackle complaints about anyone suspected of “inciting religious or racial hatred”.

Army troops and the Special Task Force had to intervene to bring the attack under control.