Sri Lanka's Negombo Prison Riot Could Have Led to Mass Escape

COLOMBO (News 1st); Acting Commissioner General of Prisons Prasad Hemantha Kumara has revealed new details surrounding the deadly violence at Sri Lanka's Negombo Prison, saying the initial unrest appears to have originated among inmates linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.

Addressing the Cabinet media briefing, Hemantha Kumara said prison authorities had found evidence that inmates had destroyed the prison pharmacy and consumed medication as narcotic substances, leaving many in a highly agitated and unstable condition.

According to the Acting Commissioner General, prison authorities had brought the situation under control by Sunday evening, with inmates returned to their respective wards, security measures reinstated and food and water provided.

However, the situation deteriorated again the following morning.

“These inmates destroyed the prison pharmacy. They used the tablets stored there as narcotic substances and were in a highly agitated state as a result. By Sunday evening, the situation had been brought under control. The inmates had been sent back to their respective wards, those wards had been secured, food and water had been provided, and all necessary arrangements had been completed. The following morning was Monday, a day on which court proceedings are held. It was also a day on which relatives were due to visit inmates. After providing meals, officers entered the premises to begin the day’s activities. It has now been revealed that many of these inmates were still in a highly unstable condition after consuming those substances,” he said.

Responding to a question regarding allegations that around 40 dengue patients had died inside the prison and that inmates had been denied adequate food and medical treatment, Hemantha Kumara strongly rejected the claims.

“We had implemented all necessary arrangements to ensure security within the facility. The inmates were in an unstable condition because they had consumed narcotic tablets. Female inmates had also consumed some of those substances after they were thrown to them by male inmates. After taking them, various allegations were made. Since you raised the issue of dengue, let me address it. Medical officers are available to provide all necessary treatment. Hospitalisation procedures have been followed whenever required. Patients have received the usual standards of care,” he said.

Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa also dismissed the allegations, describing them as entirely false.

“If 40 people had died of dengue, their bodies would have to exist. Therefore, that claim is completely false. No such situation has occurred. Any patient requiring treatment receives treatment. The necessary doctors and medical staff are available. There were a few cases of fever reported. In fact, on the previous day only one such case had been reported. Those individuals were treated accordingly. Therefore, no complaint of that nature had been received,” Dr. Jayatissa said.

Asked about the primary cause of the incident, the Acting Commissioner General said preliminary information suggested that the violence began when unrest broke out among a group of inmates while officers were resuming their routine duties on Monday morning.

“According to the information currently available to us, the initial incident occurred when a disturbance broke out among a group of inmates yesterday morning while officers were resuming their normal duties,” he said.

Responding to questions on whether any prison officers had died from gunshot wounds, Hemantha Kumara said the exact causes of death would only be determined through post-mortem examinations. However, he stated that officers had witnessed brutal attacks carried out by inmates.

“That can only be determined through the findings of the post-mortem examinations. However, officers witnessed inmates attacking prison personnel in an extremely brutal and inhumane manner. They struck officers on the head and carried out savage assaults. Our officers were subjected to attacks of a nature that is difficult to comprehend,” he said.

He also addressed public concerns over a widely circulated video showing a prison officer firing through a doorway during the violence.

Explaining the circumstances, Hemantha Kumara said prison security infrastructure consists of an outer iron gate and a secondary wooden door, with valuable security equipment located between them.

“Under normal prison procedures, there are two main doors at prison facilities. The first is an iron gate, followed by a wooden door. These inmates had already broken through the iron gate and advanced towards the wooden door,” he said.

“Between the iron gate and the wooden door are valuable security installations, including parcel-scanning machines, body scanners and communication systems. Had the inmates breached the wooden door and emerged outside after breaking through the iron gate, I cannot estimate the scale of destruction that could have followed.”

He warned that a successful breach of the final barrier could have resulted in a mass prison escape and far wider consequences for public safety.

“If they had broken through that final barrier, everything could have been destroyed. They could all have escaped and entered society. The consequences would have been unimaginable. Therefore, if prison officers had not acted as they did at that moment, risking their own lives, this would have become a far greater disaster. The scale of the potential destruction is difficult to assess. Had prison officers not intervened in the manner they did, the outcome would have been much worse than what we witnessed,” he said.

The remarks come as investigations continue into the deadly Negombo Prison violence, one of the most serious prison incidents in Sri Lanka in recent years, with authorities seeking to establish the full sequence of events.

The death toll from the violence has now risen to 26, according to officials. Among those killed are seven prison officers.

Meanwhile, Prisons Spokesman A.C. Gajanayake said that Police Special Task Force personnel and police officers continue to be deployed to provide external security at the Negombo Prison.

The spokesman stated that the situation has now been brought completely under control, while security measures within the prison have also been significantly strengthened.