Sri Lanka's Muslim government leaders resign over allegations

Sri Lankan Muslim politicians holding top government positions have resigned, saying they want to enable the government to investigate allegations against some of them on links to militants.

Nine Cabinet and junior ministers and two provincial governors resigned on Monday, days after a Buddhist monk began a fast demanding the expulsion of three leaders whom he said were linked to a militant group responsible for the Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people.

Rauf Hakeem, a lawmaker for Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, says they asked the government to investigate the allegations amid an anti-Muslim hate campaign.

Protests demanding resignations 

Demonstrations by several thousand people gripped Sri Lanka's pilgrim city of Kandy on Monday as Buddhist monks demanded the sacking of three top Muslim politicians over the Easter suicide bombings.

Shops and offices were closed in the city 115 kilometres east of Colombo.

Muslims make up around 10 percent of Sri Lanka's population of 21 million.

Muslims have been subjected to violence and harassment in public places since the April 21 bombings, which were carried out by a local group that pledged allegiance to the Daesh terrorist group. 

In March last year, a week of anti-Muslim riots in a suburb of Kandy left three people dead and more than 20 injured.

More than 200 Muslim-owned homes and shops were also destroyed and the government declared a brief state of emergency in the area to contain the violence.