Former Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is facing calls for his arrest from Opposition lawmakers for encouraging violence against nonviolent anti-government protestors that resulted in at least eight deaths, over 200 injuries, and arson attacks on the houses of many politicians.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, resigned as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on Monday amid the unprecedented economic upheaval, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protestors, causing authorities to impose a statewide curfew and deploy Army forces in the city.

The prime minister's departure automatically dissolved the cabinet, and his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is currently running the country.

The Opposition has accused Mahinda Rajapaksa of inciting ruling party thugs to harm peaceful protestors by delivering a belligerent speech to tens of thousands of his followers to deflect calls for his resignation.

Rajapaksa (Mahinda) must be arrested and brought to justice, "M A Sumanthiran, the leading Tamil lawmaker, stated in a message:

Former President Maithripala Sirisena and the leader of the biggest opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya, shared identical sentiments.

He must be arrested for inciting violence. There was no justification for attacking the peaceful protestors, "Sirisena stated.

At least eight persons were killed during the fighting. The Colombo national hospital reported that at least 217 patients had been admitted.

One of the demonstrators savagely attacked by Rajapaksa supporters remains in critical condition.

Later, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, stating that he was paving the way for his brother, the president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to establish an all-party interim government.

There were allegations of arson assaults on the residences of ruling party politicians throughout the entire island, including the ancestral home of the Rajapaksa family in the deep southern region of Hambantota.

According to media sources, Mahinda Rajapaksa exited the Temple Trees, the prime minister's official residence, on Tuesday morning.

The police deployed tear gas and fired shots into the air on Monday to stop a mob from breaking into Temple Trees, the office and residence of the prime minister.

As arson attacks were reported from the country's majority, the island-wide curfew was extended last night till Wednesday.

General Shavendra Silva, the head of the army, issued an appeal for calm and stated that the necessary steps would be taken to ensure law and order.

In the present state of emergency, the troops are granted broad arresting authority.

The opposition parties advocated the early reconvening of Parliament before May 17.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena also requested that the President call Parliament quickly.

The trade unions announced that they would begin a continuous strike on Tuesday to protest the government-backed crackdown on the peaceful protesters.

The incident happened as pressure built on the beleaguered government led by President Gotabaya to form an interim administration to tackle the country's most severe economic crisis.

Sri Lanka has been experiencing unparalleled economic upheaval since its independence from Britain in 1948. A scarcity of foreign currency has rendered the government unable to pay for imports of essential foods and fuel, resulting in severe shortages and extremely high costs.

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Sri Lanka since April 9 to demand the resignations of President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda, as the government has run out of funds for vital imports; prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed, and there are severe shortages of fuel, medicines, and electricity.

In an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Friday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced a state of emergency effective at midnight on Friday. This is the second time in less than a month that Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency due to its economic crisis.