News
Estate worker alleges manager pushed him into fridge, manager says allegation politically motivated
Police have received a complaint against a senior manager of a leading plantation company that he and other estate managers forcibly locked up an estate worker inside an empty fridge during their weekly get-together in Agarapathana in Nuwara Eliya district. Police said that the complaint was against the manager of “Glasgow Estate” managed by Agarapathana Plantations Ltd.
The incident had allegedly occurred at the “Agra Club” on Thursday night (29). The club is the scene of a weekly get-together of the managers of tea plantations managed by the company in the area. Two male workers of the estate had been called by the estate manager to serve food and drinks at the get-together, and a complaint has been lodged by the victim’s wife that a group of drunken estate managers, including the main suspect, had assaulted and pushed her husband into the fridge, locking him inside.
The victim, 28-year-old Thangaraja Aravindakumar, told the Sunday Times that he and the other worker had been asked by the manager to clear out bottles from the fridge at around 11 p.m. “Once we cleared out the bottles, the managers first tried to push my colleague into the empty fridge, but he managed to escape and run away from the clubhouse. They then grabbed me, manhandled me and pushed me into the fridge,” Mr Aravindakumar said.
He added that he continued to push against and kick at the door but the managers refused to open it. “I found it difficult to breathe inside and I struggled for a while. My body temperature plummeted due to the intense cold and after a time, I could no longer move my hands or legs. Somehow, I managed to kick the door open finally and crawl out.”
A little later, Mr Aravindakumar said he escaped from the clubhouse and fled home, where he informed his family of what had happened. He was rushed to the Agarapathana Hospital the next morning, before being transferred to the Nuwara Eliya Hospital for further treatment. His wife subsequently lodged a complaint over the incident with the Agarapathana Police.
The Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Agarapathana Police, Inspector (IP) W.M. Anandasiri confirmed the incident and added that his officers had recorded a statement from the alleged victim while being treated at the Nuwara Eliya Hospital. Estate workers and family members of the victim held a protest on Friday demanding that the authorities take steps to arrest those involved in the incident.
However, the Manager of Glasgow Estate, Lasantha De Silva, told the Sunday Times he was not involved in the incident. “I am aware there is a complaint against me. It’s all been done with a political motive,” he claimed.