President Maithripala Sirisena visited Kandy this evening and held a special meeting with religious dignitaries, state officials and senior officers of the military on the current situation in the area. 

President Sirisena urged Buddhist and Islam religious leaders to take leadership in quelling the current tension. 

The religious leaders attending the meeting pointed out that that exaggeration of minor incidents through various social media platforms is one of the main reasons for the escalation of violence.

President Sirisena, in response, stressed the importance of communicating the right information to the public.

He also requested all senior military officers to take every possible step to bring the situation under control.