IGP orders CID to probe 2012 Welikada Prison riots

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation in connection with the Welikada Prison riots of 2012, based on the instructions of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara.

The riots which broke out at the Welikada Prison in November 2012 amidst an unexpected Police Special Task Force (STF) operation carried out within the Prison premises claimed the lives of 27 inmates.

Although initially it was written off as an unexpected, isolated incident, accusations were made that the victims were murdered intentionally and targeted from a hit list.

Sudesh Nandimal, an inmate at the time of the incident who was also a witness of the riots, filed a complaint with the CID, and requested for an investigation to be launched into the incident.

Nandimal accused the defense sectors of murdering select inmates under the guise of suppressing the prison rebellion, and proceeded to state that certain media were attempting to justify the mass murder.