Ayurveda Department closed indefinitely

The Ayurveda Department in Nawinna was closed indefinitely following the tense situation at the premises this evening, Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Minister Rajitha Senaratne said today.

Employees of the department had gheraoed the Chairman Lal Samarasinghe and Managing Director Ruwan Lankeshwara over several demands.

The chairman had been locked in his office by the employees and he and the managing director had been prevented from leaving the premises.

The Trade Union Collective of the Ayurvedic Drug Corporation said that the chairman and the managing director had reported for work yesterday after an absence of 76 days.

The union said that they and filed a case involving 61 charges against the two and informed the relevant authorities. But no action had been taken and the pair had been reappointed by the minister without the union's objections being taken into account.

The main demands of the union had been a change of management and the removal of the chairman and the managing director

The employees had given the authorities a deadline and said the management should be changed by September 14; and since the deadline had passed, they had gheraoed the chairman and the managing director.

Later the chairman and the managing director had been freed by the police and police anti riot squad, who had arrived on the scene.

The employees had blocked the entrances to the chairman’s room. (Chaturanga Pradeep)

Video by Indika Sri Aravinda