Protest over alleged attempt to 'abduct' student leader

A protest is currently ongoing outside the United Nations (UN) Head Office in Colombo. The protest is being carried out by university students against the alleged attempt by police to 'abduct' Convenor of the Medical Faculty Students' Action Committee (MFSAC), Ryan Jayalath. 

The students are claiming that the incident is an example of the blatant attempts by the Government to suppress human rights by clamping down on student protests. 

The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) has also joined today's protest. 

A tense situation arose yesterday at the OPA building in Colombo when police, some of who were in plain clothes, attempted to arrest the MFSAC convenor after a meeting convened against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) in Malabe. However, the attempt failed due to furious protests by students and other trade union leaders who were present at the location. 

Students say police did not produce a warrant for Jayalath's arrest and that officers in civvies attempted to bundle him into a white van. 

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