Claiming that certain politicians representing the plantation areas, are attempting to provoke the people to achieve their narrow political goals based on a recent incident of an impoverished family being mistreated by an assistant manager of a plantation company, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles urged the public not to fall prey to such attempts.

In a statement, the Public Security Ministry stated that Alles' has paid attention to alleged irresponsible statements made by certain politicians regarding the said incident that may provoke people and lead to disastrous incidents.

"A public representative had made a statement that we should retaliate for self defence against violence, and that it is our right to do so if the Government and the law does not protect us. That statement had been given wide publicity on social media platforms. We request the people including those from the plantation sector not to fall prey to such hate speech and not to take the law into their hands," the statement read. It further read that Alles had emphasised that if someone takes the law into their hands and acts or supports to create a disastrous situation influenced by statements of certain politicians with the narrow aim of getting votes, the law would be strictly implemented against any person or organisation regardless of their ranks.

The actions of an assistant manager of the Ratwatte estate in Matale, who, accompanied by a team of workers, demolished a makeshift house, and evicted the family, led to controversy early this week. Following the incident, Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Jeevan Thondaman had visited the location and engaged in a heated argument with the estate management. The incident was followed by a series of statements made by several parties, particularly politicians representing the plantation based areas.