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Sri Lanka investigates troops over 'humiliation' of Muslims
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COLOMBO, 21 June 2021, (TON): Sri Lanka's military launched an investigation after social media posts showed soldiers forcing minority Muslims to kneel on the streets as a punishment for flouting lockdown rules.
Armed troops ordered Muslim civilians to raise their hands in the air while kneeling on a road in the town of Eravur, about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of the capital Colombo.
Local residents said that they considered the order to be degrading and humiliating, while officials acknowledged that troops had no power to mete out such punishments.
The army said in a statement "An initial Military Police investigation has already commenced after certain photos went viral depicting an alleged harassment in the Eravur area,".
It said “the officer in charge had been removed and the soldiers involved ordered to leave the town.”
"The army will adopt the strictest disciplinary action against all errant army personnel," the military added, in a rare display of willingness to investigate its own.
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