Emergency declared in Sri Lanka after clashes between Muslims, Buddhists broke out

Sri Lanka has declared a temporary state of emergency as a 'stern action' against communal violence in the country, a Sri Lankan government spokesperson said today.

Emergency has been in imposed in Sri Lanka for 10 days as a precautionary measure. The announcement today came a day after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the island nation's central district of Kandy.

The emergency announcement came just hours ahead of a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. However, the emergency announcement is unlikely to affect the match, the Indian team management suggested.