On 1 June 2014, a group of men attacked a group of striking union members, assaulting them with swords and throwing a sleeping child from his bed. Five people, including the child, were hospitalised.
The general secretary of the Inter Company Employees’ Union, comrade Janaka Adikari, reported that the police had refused to accept a complaint regarding a group of armed men loitering in the village, lodged by several employees and villagers earlier on 1 June.
That night, the men attacked the employees. Comrade Janaka Adikari stated that even though the police were informed of the possibility of an attack, and were advised immediately of the actual attack, the police failed to arrest the group responsible.
Moreover, while the attackers have not been arrested, a Puttalam district judge has ordered the arrest of the employees who were admitted to hospital.