Govt rejects claims of cover-up in Negombo prison unrest

Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa rejected allegations that the government was concealing the truth behind the deadly unrest at Negombo Prison that claimed 32 lives. “This narrative about this event has been created to humiliate the country in the eyes of the international community,” Jayatissa said at the post-Cabinet media briefing. He said statements had been recorded from about 200 individuals, including inmates, prison officials and Special Task Force (STF) personnel. Seven Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) teams are assisting the investigation, while the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is conducting the main probe. Jayatissa said investigators are also working to recover footage from damaged CCTV systems using digital video recorders (DVRs). He added that all weapons used during the unrest have now been recovered. According to the minister, post-mortem examinations have been completed for all but three victims, including two prison officials who last night succumbed to their injuries and an Indian national inmate. He said several prison officers were killed after sustaining severe head injuries, describing the attacks on prison staff as brutal. Jayatissa said those responsible for the deaths of both prison officers and inmates would be identified and prosecuted. The minister also acknowledged that the government’s anti-narcotics drive had significantly increased the prison population. “When we came to power in 2024, there were about 28,000 inmates in the prison system. Since then, that number has increased by about 14,000,” he said. Jayatissa said however that the government had taken steps to expand prison capacity, recruit more prison officers and reduce overcrowding. Construction and infrastructure projects are underway or have been completed at the Pallekele, Pallansena and Mahara prisons, he said. Jayatissa added that temporary facilities to ease congestion at Welikada and Magazine prisons in Colombo are nearing completion, while a high-security prison has been established at the Welisara Navy Camp to enhance national security. He said several additional prison infrastructure projects are scheduled for completion between 2026 and 2028. (Newswire)