Mahara Prison riot: Bodies of six inmates identified
December 6, 2020 04:56 pm
A total of six inmates who had died in the Mahara Prison riot have been identified, Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said.
DIG Rohana added that statements have been recorded from 116 people involved in the incident.
He said that the aim of the investigation is to identify the cause of the riot, the individuals who led it, and the individuals who supported it.
In a recent violent incident at the Mahara Prison, a total of 11 inmates had died in the incident while 106 others and 02 prison officials sustained injuries.
The bodies of 02 deceased inmates’ were identified yesterday (05) by their relatives. Four more have been identified today (06).
According to the police media spokesperson, the deceased inmates are residents of Ja-Ela, Hunupitiya, Weliweriya, and Anguruwatota areas.
Unrest at the Mahara Prison broke out on November 29 evening when a group of inmates attempted to escape the facility following a conflict with prison officials.
Prison authorities had opened fire to control the situation and a team of Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel was deployed to assist prison authorities.
Subsequently, a massive fire had broken out at the prison after several inmates set fire to the health office, a storage area, and several other places within the prison.
The fire had raged on until 3.00 am on Monday (November 30) and was completely extinguished with help of 06 fire trucks.
Two prison officials were also held hostage by protesting inmates, however, they were later rescued by the authorities.
Authorities later revealed that the rioting inmates had also broken into the prison’s medical section and consumed the stored pharmaceuticals including the ones used to treat mental illnesses. According to them, this resulted in more violent conduct among the inmates.
