Sri Lanka’s head of police force Mahinda Balasuriya has proceeded on leave  in the aftermath of a shake-up in the force following a police-trade union violence on May 30, that left over 250 workers injured.
“IGP Balasuriya tendered his retirement papers to the President and has gone on leave with immediate effect until retirement date on June 18. His decision was based on the recent incidents in Katunayake,” Presidential Media Director General Bandula Jayasekera told The Hindu. 
The workers, mostly from the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, have been protesting the proposed pension scheme for the private sector for more than a week. Majority of the trade unions are against the pension scheme, according to news reports. The government also announced the closing down of the FTZ in a move to preserve peace, but on May 30, the protesting workers and police clashed at Katunayake. More than 250 workers and at least 15 police personnel, including a Deputy Inspector General, were injured in the violence.
The pension scheme has since been kept in abeyance. Quick to gauge the sentiment of the workers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 31 appointed a one-man committee to probe the violent incidents involving the workers and police. Retired Supreme Court judge Mahanama Thilakarathna will submit a report in five days.
Media reports in Sri Lanka said that two police officers in the division were arrested by the CID over the incident. A reorganisation of the force has also been taken up.
Meanwhile Human Rights watchdog, the Asian Human Rights Commission, on Wednesday wanted to know who ordered the shooting on the workers with live bullets. It wanted answers to the following questions: “What is the top most authority that authorised such use [of live bullets]? Who was the highest ranking officer on the ground who gave the orders to use live ammunition? Were the protestors warned prior to the police opening fire and were warning shots fired before deadly force was used? How many rounds of ammunition were expended and by whom? Was it the intention of the authorities to use such deadly force in order to bring the protest to an end and was it pre-planned?”
(source:thehindu.com/news/international/article2068517.ece)