• About 300 new inmates to Kandakadu over the last two weeks

Twenty-eight inmates from the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre are currently missing, following a clash that occurred at the centre on Friday (12), while the centre has also seen approximately 300 new inmates over the last two weeks. 

Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. Darshana Hettiarachchi told The Sunday Morning that 24 inmates had been admitted to the Welikanda Hospital following a clash that had occurred on Friday while 62 inmates had been taken into custody by the Police. 

“Twenty-eight inmates are missing; they can’t escape because the whole area is flooded. There is a possibility that they will come back because there is no way they can go anywhere.”

This incident comes in the backdrop of the ongoing Yukthiya operation, which the Police commenced last month in a bid to eradicate drug trafficking and organised crime. 

According to the Public Security Ministry, over 20,797 suspects have been arrested during the first 14 days of the operation, from 17 to 31 December 2023. 

The operation has since faced severe criticism for alleged human rights violations and mistreatment of prisoners and drug-dependent persons, with some even raising concerns about a riot occurring inside prisons due to overcrowding as a result of the operation.

Maj. Gen. Hettiarachchi noted that in the last two weeks, the rehabilitation centre at Kandakadu had received 260 new inmates.

“Kandakadu has a capacity of 500 and we are almost at full capacity with 448 inmates. The Senapura Rehabilitation Centre has a capacity of 500 and the centre at Vavuniya [Protective Accomodation and Rehabilitation Centre] has a capacity of 120.”

Explaining the reasons behind the incident, he said: “Over the last two to three weeks, we have been getting new people due to the arrests that are being carried out by the Police. Most of the people have been dependent on drugs for many years – even 15 to 20 years – and once they come in, it is difficult for them to stay due to the lack of drugs. Others are also criminals involved in rape cases and robberies; they come from different areas and also have problems. All are gangsters.”