Several security personnel attached to a Colombo casino who manhandled the Kalutara Magistrate on Friday evening near his official residence have been remanded by the Kalutara Police.

Magistrate Anura Seneviratne had been on his way to his official residence at around 4:15 p.m. on Friday when a number of persons in a van had blocked his way. Since they had not moved away, the Magistrate had tooted the horn of the car in which he was travelling, which had sparked off a controversy.

The men who had alighted from the van had then abused the Magistrate and tried to pull him out of the car. Although the Magistrate had identified himself, the goons had continued to hurl abuse at the Magistrate

Since the incident occurred approximately 25 metres away from his residence, two home guards guarding his bungalow had heard the Magistrate tooting the horn and arrived at the scene. With their arrival, the van driver had pulled the van to side, enabling the Magistrate to move his car forward and drive towards his bungalow.

However, the Magistrate had returned to the scene when he saw the two home guards grappling with the unruly persons in the van, who had been trying to grab their weapons. At one point the Magistrate had had to prevent the home guard from firing at the unruly crowd when they became boisterous and started attacking the home guards.

A Police motorcycle had arrived at the scene first after the Magistrate alerted the area Headquarters Inspector through his mobile phone while the men hurled abuse at him. The men had apparently attempted to attack the Police saying that they were the security staff attached to an influential person in Colombo. Later another Police party had arrived at the scene and arrested the persons concerned and remanded them, following an examination carried out by a JMO.

In another case, Kalutara Additional Magistrate Chandani Dias had also been manhandled by the organisers of a cycle race on the Horana Road, a day after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

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