Colombo, June 2 (ANI): Sri Lankan police chief Mahinda Balasuriya has resigned after violent clashes occurred between police and factory workers, in which over 200 people were injured and one protester was killed.
The violence happened as workers demonstrated against a new pension scheme, which has now been suspended, the BBC reports.
Balasuriya said that he was resigning from his post because of the violent clashes that took place on Monday at a free trade zone north of the capital.
Factory employees, mainly garment workers, protested angrily about a new pension scheme, which they said would hit the poorest people hardest.
They threw stones and the police fired live rounds and teargas. The government said hundreds were injured including 15 police officers.
The police gave a different account, saying the protesters attacked police stations and tried to steal weapons inside.
In a rare display of public anger, big cardboard cutouts of President Mahinda Rajapaksa were torn down.
Two senior police officers have been arrested in connection with the violence and a retired judge is investigating it. (ANI)
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