On Monday night, protesters attacked the homes and properties of ruling-party lawmakers in Sri Lanka after the brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister.

As protesters tried to storm the prime minister's residence , police used tear gas to disperse protesters at the ancestral home of the Rajapaksa family in Hambantota.

Thousands of protesters stormed the main gates of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo this morning, forcing heavily armed troops to rescue him.

They later attempted to enter 'Temple Trees', the two-storey colonial-era building where the Lankan PM lives, as well as his family and personal belongings.

The Opposition is calling for Mahinda Rajapaksa's arrest for inciting the violence that left more than 200 people injured and over 8 people dead.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with a sharp increase in inflation and mismanagement of government finances that has led to food shortages and fuel shortages for months, provoking street protests.

The prime minister later resigned as the family tried to stem the momentum of protests calling for the entire family to step aside, leading to the collapse of the cabinet.