Brutally felled for taking stand against felling of trees
By Chris Kamalendran-Sunday, July 14, 2013
Planters hold a protest over the brutal slaying of a colleague
Planters hold a protest over the brutal slaying of a colleague
Another senseless crime allegedly involving a politician claims the life of a veteran planter, whose earlier complaints to police were ignored
Nihal Perera, a veteran planter with 45 years of experience in the field, took up his posting as the manager of Noori Estate in Deraniyagala, in the Kegalle district, late last year. However, he soon started facing resistance from a group backed by a local politician. The group was allegedly encroaching on estate land, felling trees and preventing other suppliers from selling goods to the estate.
The victim - Nihal Perera
Three months into the job, Mr. Perera (69) was beaten up inside the estate bungalow resulting in a leg fracture. A local politician was reported to be behind the incident. The Deraniyagala Police had failed to entertain the complaint, the Sunday Times learns. It was in this backdrop that Mr. Perera was abducted and brutally killed on July 5.
On this fateful day the Noori Estate manager accompanied by one of the field officers was on a routine inspection tour of the 600-acre estate, when the attack occurred. Earlier Mr. Perera had got off his vehicle after instructing his driver and a security guard to meet him and the field officer further inside the estate.
