Sri Lanka police arrest sacked minister over shooting: Spokesman

COLOMBO - Sri Lankan police on Monday (Oct 29) arrested deposed oil minister Arjuna Ranatunga over a shooting that killed one person on the weekend, police spokesman said.

"Colombo Crime division arrested Ranatunga over the shooting incident and he will be produced to the court shortly," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told Reuters.

President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday (Oct 27) declared that the Cabinet had been dissolved with the appointment of a new prime minister a day earlier.

Since then, members of trade unions linked to the new prime minister, Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa, have blocked ministers from the old Cabinet from entering their ministries.

Police said earlier that in an altercation on Sunday (Oct 28), when Mr Ranatunga tried to enter his office, his security guard shot and killed one person and wounded two.