The Committee for the Protection of Prisoners' Rights has attributed the unrest at Mahara Prison to severe overcrowding at the facility.
Addressing the media, the committee's Chairman, Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera alleged that prison authorities were attempting to conceal the actual conditions inside the prison.
According to Perera, Mahara Prison, which has an official capacity of 991 inmates, is currently housing 4,447 prisoners.
He also claimed that the available facilities are insufficient to meet the needs of the inmate population, resulting in deteriorating living conditions within the prison.
Perera further alleged that the unrest began at around 1:00 p.m. on yesterday (01), but prison officials failed to take immediate steps to contain the situation. Instead, he claimed, officers withdrew from the premises, allowing the confrontation among inmates to escalate.
The remarks come after one inmate was killed and several others were injured during the unrest, which was brought under control by security forces this morning. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
