Sri Lanka is emerging from sectarian civil conflict/war with a focus on the minorities in the North and the East of the country but generally with consequences across Sri Lanka and internationally. In the years since, flash mob violence reminiscent of the early stages of this civil war has occurred in Southern, Western, and Central Sri Lanka.  The response of the state has been often inadequate.  The organized mob violence visited across Kandy District in the first week of March showed multiple failures of the state and others to provide security and it also showed the valiant acts by officers and citizens to defuse and avert violence.  To be able to learn the lessons from Kandy, and to reduce the risk of future violence, there needs to be systematic documentation.

In March 2018, mob violence visited pockets in an East-West arc 5-20 km North of Kandy. The DS division with the largest number of damaged buildings and vehicles were Kundasale, Yatinuwara and Pujapitiya. The DS division with the largest loss estimates were Kundasale, Akurana, Pujapitiya and Medamahanuwara. They have identified 622 victims of the violence, to be compensated. By May 1 they were able to assess properties of about 440 of those affected including 224 houses of the affected 301, 119 businesses of the affected 221, of 78 vehicles and 19 of the 22 religious places.

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