Sri Lanka police said three people were injured Sunday when shots were fired in Colombo, as a constitutional crisis sparked by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s shock sacking turned violent.

Bodyguards for Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, a Wickremesinghe loyalist, fired live rounds as a mob allied to the president threatened the cabinet member, police said.

It was the first report of serious violence since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on Friday and installed a former strongman as the new prime minister, triggering political chaos in the Indian Ocean nation.

Source: AFP