Indian national injured in night assault near Colombo, EAM says worried of spillover

NEW DELHI/COLOMBO: An Indian national working in Sri Lanka sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Tuesday as it urged its nationals to remain aware of the latest developments in the island nation and plan their movements and activities accordingly. The mission said its officials met "Vivek Varma, an Indian national and director of Indian Visa Centre, who sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault last night near Colombo".The matter has been brought to the attention of the authorities, it said.
The situation in Sri Lanka is very serious and in many ways unprecedented, external affairs minister S Jaishankar told an all-party meeting on the economic crisis in the island nation and that India is worried about the possible spillover and consequences.
Reports from Colombo on Tuesday said a senior Indian government official posted in Sri Lanka sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault. Confirming the incident, the Indian high commission urged Indian nationals to remain aware of the latest developments in the country and plan their movements and activities accordingly.
"It is a matter which pertains to a very close neighbour and given the near proximity, we naturally worry about the consequences, the spillover it has for us," said Jaishankar in Delhi.

The Indian high commission in a tweet said relations between the people of India and Sri Lanka have always been cordial and friendly.
In another tweet, the high commission said its officials met "Vivek Varma, an Indian national and director of Indian visa centre, who sustained grievous injuries in an unprovoked assault last night near Colombo". The matter had been brought to the attention of the Sri Lankan authorities, it said.
It is probably the first time that an Indian national has been attacked since anti-government protests erupted in Sri Lanka in March.

Amid the turmoil in Sri Lanka, India has reiterated that it would continue to stand with the island nation's people as they seek to realise their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values as well as established institutions and a constitutional framework.