COLOMBO, Sept 21: A curfew was clamped on Ampara district on Wednesday after tension gripped the region following police firing on a crowd protesting the killing of 10 Muslims last week.

Four of the protesters were admitted to hospital in a critical condition.

The 10 Muslims, all construction workers, were found butchered last Sunday. Residents blamed a special police squad for the massacre while the government holds the Tamil Tigers responsible.

“The protest was turning violent and the shooting was carried out to disperse the crowd,” a police source said.