The Minister of Justice, Harshana Nanayakkara has visited the Negombo Prison in the aftermath of the violent clashes within the premises.
The visit comes after the unrest within the prison this morning left 25 people dead and several others injured.
Earlier, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara expressed deep shock and sorrow over the violent clash at the Negombo Prison, stating he accepts responsibility for the incident as it occurred within an institution under his purview.
Speaking to media, the Justice Minister said the unrest has now been brought under control, but stressed that the loss of any life could not be justified and steps must be taken to prevent a recurrence.
He said the clash was between two organised groups within the prison, adding that prison officials had acted to restore order during the incident.
“There is deep shock over the loss of human lives. I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased. We must go to the site, investigate what happened, and ensure that such incidents do not happen again. This is not about blaming anyone,” the Minister said.
Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said it was now important to examine how the incident occurred, identify any failures, and take swift corrective action.
“Instead of regret alone, we must understand how this happened, where the issue lies, and whether anyone acted improperly. We need to ensure these incidents do not recur,” he said.
The Minister added that while such incidents can occur, they cannot be justified or taken lightly, particularly when lives have been lost, and said further investigations were necessary.
A total of 25 individuals died while around 100 others sustained injuries due to the renewed unrest at the Negombo Prison this morning.
Among them five are reportedly prison officials and twenty of them are prison inmates.
A tense situation was reported once again at the Negombo Prison this morning.
Although the situation was brought under control by this morning following yesterday’s clashes between inmates, unrest has reportedly resurfaced at the prison.
A clash initially broke out between two groups of inmates at the Negombo Prison at around 1.00 p.m. yesterday.
Police stated that the confrontation occurred between a group of remand prisoners and a group of convicted inmates serving sentences.
Two inmates died in yesterday's clash, while 38 others sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at hospital.
