The High Commission said it was striving to return to its normal functioning soon. "High Commission categorically denies that it or the Indian Consulates-General or the Assistant High Commission of #India in #SriLanka have stopped issuing visas. In the past few days, there were operational difficulties due to the inability of our Visa Wing staff, most of whom are #SriLankan nationals, to attend office," the Indian High Commission tweeted.
"We are striving to return our functioning to the normal levels soon. We remain committed to facilitating ease of travel for #SriLankans to #India. #SriLankans are welcome in #India just as #Indians are in #SriLanka," it said.
Sri Lanka's new prime minister will begin forming a unity government on Friday, but his appointment has failed to appease anti-government protesters demanding the resignation of the president for the country's disastrous economic crisis.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed veteran opposition politician Ranil Wickremesinghe as the island nation's prime minister late on Thursday after a week of violent clashes that left 9 people dead and over 300 injured.
The president's elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, quit as prime minister on Monday as the violence spiralled and is in hiding in a military base.
"We will stop this struggle when our people get justice," said Chamalage Shivakumar, one of the hundreds of people who have camped out at a protest site in the main city Colombo.
"Whoever they appoint as prime minister, we will not stop this struggle until people get relief."
Wickremesinghe is the only lawmaker from his United National Party in the country's parliament and will be reliant on rival political parties to form a government. An alliance led by the Rajapaksas holds about 100 of parliament's 225 seats, while the opposition has 58 seats. The rest are independent.
*With inputs from agencies
