The Acting Commissioner General of Prisons, Prasad Hemantha Kumara today (07) explained the circumstances that led security forces to open fire during the unrest at the Negombo Prison yesterday (06).

The Acting Commissioner General of Prisons made these remarks in response to a question raised by journalists, at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held at the Department of Government Information today (07). 

According to the Acting Commissioner General, inmates had first breached the iron security door inside the prison and reached the wooden door beyond it, creating a situation that authorities feared could not be controlled if they managed to break through the second barrier.

He further stated that after forcing open the iron door, inmates allegedly attacked nearby prison officers, and the only step that could be taken by the security forces to ensure the safety of the prison officers and prevent the inmates from escaping was for the security forces to open fire.

Explaining the situation further, Hemantha Kumara said, “The prison has two main doors, an iron door followed by a wooden door. The inmates broke through the iron door and reached the wooden door. There are valuable items located between these two doors, and it is difficult to estimate the extent of destruction that could have occurred had they breached the wooden door as well.”

He added that several prison officers had been trapped inside the premises during the unrest and were being assaulted by inmates.

“If the prison officers had not acted in this manner while risking their lives, this is not a situation that can be assessed. A number of our prison officers were trapped among the inmates and were being attacked. They entered the premises to prevent a clash between those inmates and rescue them, but they too became trapped.

The Acting Commissionaire General further stated that as the inmates broke through the iron door, prison officers opened fire through the wooden door in an attempt to bring the situation under control.