Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a protest near the Parliamentary Roundabout by a group of local councilors now representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.

The protesters demanded the government to hold the local council elections and asked if the government was scared to hold the election in view of its 'sure defeat'.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna is the breakaway group of the SLFP Joint Opposition. More than 2000 former local councilors took its membership recently.