Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, July 6: At least 28 persons, including seven prison officers, were killed in after a clash between two groups of inmates escalated into deadly violence in a Sri Lankan prison on Monday. Over 100 prisoners were also reported to be injured, several of them critically.
The fighting began on Sunday evening at the prison in the coastal town of Negombo, about 35km north of the commercial capital city of Colombo, killing two persons, and prompting authorities to deploy military personnel around the premises of the prison. The clashes escalated on Monday even as some inmates gathered on the rooftop to protest, demanding their immediate release.
The unrest then spread beyond the initial clash which led to female inmates climbing onto the prison roof to show support to groups involved in the engagement, following which the roof collapsed, injuring four prisoners initially.
Prison spokesperson Chaminda Gajanayake told reporters that some prisoners rushed towards the main gate and attempted a breakout, but authorities managed to hold them back. Residents of the area told local media that gunshots could be heard outside, suggesting that prisoners had likely seized firearms from prison guards earlier.
Gajanayake said clashes erupted again on Monday morning and the officers who intervened to stop the fighting were allegedly attacked and chased towards the prison’s main entrance. Some inmates had also attempted to break through the main gates, pushing officers to use force against them, which Gajanayake claimed was minimum.
He said the confrontation began while officers were distributing breakfast to inmates, following an altercation between rival groups in the male ward of the prison. According to his numbers, the Negombo Prison at present holds about 2,400 inmates.
Though no official statement has been released by the prison officials, the local media reports said the violence was believed to have broken out between a group supporting drug trafficking activities within the prison and another group opposing those activities. The clash occurred due to the “betrayal” of information regarding the drug trafficking operation, the reports added.
Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has expressed “profound shock and grief” at the loss of human lives. “Whether they were inmates, or associated with the underworld, is not relevant to us at this moment,” Mr Nanayakkara told reporters, adding that he took responsibility for the shocking incident. Authorities are working to separate rival gangs in the prison that are suspected to have triggered Monday’s deadly violence, officials said.
Following the deadly unrest, authorities have begun arrangements to transfer inmates from Negombo prison to other holding centers across the country. Spokesperson Gajanayake said the transfers are part of urgent measures aimed at easing tensions inside the prison and restoring order.
According to him, a special team has been appointed by the Commissioner General of Prisons to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the violence and its causes.
To restore and maintain security within the prison, riot control units and the Police Special Task Force (STF) have been deployed, along with police teams supporting the security operation.
Monday’s prison riots come six years after a deadly riot at the Mahara prison, north of Colombo, during the height of the pandemic in 2020, in which as many as 11 inmates were killed. The incident put the spotlight on dire conditions in Sri Lanka’s prisons at the time. Rights defenders said the prisons were accommodating thrice their intended capacity, resulting in severe overcrowding and lack of facilities during the pandemic. Sri Lanka witnessed another deadly riot in Colombo’s Welikada prison in 2012 when police shot dead 27 inmates.
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