• Cops claim no formal complaint filed by victim
• MP Ranaweera acknowledges assault, denies threatening victims

Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Police Station has wrapped up its investigations into the incident where State Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Prasanna Ranaweera allegedly assaulted a Porter at the airport premises, due to the absence of a proper complaint by the party who got assaulted.

Following a video being circulated on social media in which the State Minister is assaulting and threatening a porter with several security officers at the airport last week (14), the BIA Police Station recorded a statement from the State Minister last week regarding the incident, even though a formal complaint has not been lodged by the porter who got assaulted.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (19), a senior police officer spoke on behalf of the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the BIA Police, Malcom Pate, and stated that even though the Police tried to record a statement from the assaulted porter, those attempts were futile. The police officer also noted that the statement given by the State Minister was recorded by the Police, and there was no proper complaint lodged by the porter. According to the police officer, the investigation has been wound up in the absence of a proper complaint by the alleged victim.

However, several media outlets reported that the airport employee in question, who is a resident of Kurunegala, had visited the airport police station to lodge a complaint regarding the incident. However, due to the absence of the OIC at that time, the police officers present informed the porter to return the next morning. But the assaulted porter has reportedly not visited the police station after that, it is learnt.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media after giving a statement to the Police, Ranaweera admitted that he assaulted the porter but never threatened him not to lodge a complaint to the Police. He said, “I got angry at that time. I called him and pulled him to the side. I slapped him; that’s true. I did not force him not to come to the Police or to work. He should come to work,” Ranaweera told the media.

This is not the first time MP Ranaweera has been linked to an assault, his conduct during the November 2018 chaos in the Parliament when members loyal to the then disputed Prime Minister (appointed) Mahinda Rajapaksa threw books, furniture and chilli paste at rivals in a bid to block a second no-confidence motion against him, and block the speaker Karu Jayasuriya from acting, is a matter of public record.

 The State Minister Ranaweera and Airport and Aviation Services Limited Chairperson were unavailable to comment.