An investigation has been launched into the clash between two groups of inmates at Negombo Prison that left two prisoners dead and dozens injured.
Prisons Commissioner and Media Spokesman A.C. Gajanayake said the Commissioner General of Prisons had appointed a special investigation team to probe the incident.
The clash broke out at around 1 p.m. on Saturday (5) between a group of remand prisoners and a group of convicted inmates, according to Police.
Two inmates were killed in the violence, while 34 others were admitted to the Negombo District General Hospital with injuries. Two of the injured, who sustained serious injuries, were later transferred to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo for further treatment.
Following the clash, a group of inmates climbed onto the roof of a prison building in protest. Four additional inmates were hospitalised after falling from the roof during the demonstration.
Prison officials, the Police, the Special Task Force and the Sri Lanka Army were deployed to bring the situation under control and strengthen security in and around the prison.
Gajanayake said 36 inmates had initially been hospitalised following the clash, two of whom later succumbed to their injuries, while three others who received treatment had been transferred to the Pallansena prison camp.
He said Negombo Prison currently houses 2,417 inmates and that the situation inside the prison had since been brought under control by prison officials, while external security continued to be maintained by the Police, STF and the Army.
Gajanayake stressed that the incident was solely a clash between inmates and that no prison officers were involved.
He also appealed to the relatives of inmates not to panic, assuring them that the situation had been stabilised.
According to Gajanayake, the inmates had also submitted several requests to the Commissioner General of Prisons, who had informed them that those concerns would be looked into.
