DOZENS of people have been arrested following protests near the home of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was called on to resign amid the country’s worst economic crisis in memory, police said today.

Mr Rajapaksa’s office blamed “organised extremists” among the protesters for violence during Thursday night’s demonstration, which saw police fire tear gas and a water cannon at thousands of people and arrest 54.

Lawyer Nuwan Bopage, representing some of the demonstrators, said that several were taken to undergo medical examinations for various injuries and would probably appear in court.

The protesters blame Mr Rajapaksa for long power cuts and shortages of essentials. A police curfew that had been implemented in the suburbs of the capital Colombo was lifted this morning.

On Thursday, the crowds demonstrating along the roads leading to Mr Rajapaksa’s private residence on the outskirts of Colombo stoned two army buses that police were using to block the protesters from entering the road leading to the president’s house.

They set fire to one of the buses and turned back a fire engine that rushed to douse it.

At least one person suffered a severe leg injury when police fired tear gas cannisters directly at protesters.

Sri Lanka has huge debt obligations and dwindling foreign reserves and its struggle to pay for imports has caused the shortages.

People wait in long queues for fuel and power is cut for several hours daily because there is not enough fuel to operate generating plants and dry weather has sapped hydroelectric generating capacity.