• CID deploys 6 investigation teams
• No arrests as of Friday evening

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has deployed six specialised investigation teams as part of a parallel probe into the Negombo Prison riot that left 28 people dead, as authorities seek to establish how one of the country’s worst prison disturbances in decades spiralled out of control, The Sunday Morning reliably learns. 

The tragedy, one of many which have plagued the island’s corrections system, exposes systemic issues of overpopulation, under-resourced administrative structures, and other issues which have seen recurring incidents of prison violence, riots, and custodial deaths over decades. 

It is learnt that the Department of Prisons has simultaneously launched its own internal inquiry into the violence, with both investigations expected to establish individual accountability as well as identify institutional failures that may have allowed the unrest to spiral out of control. 

A senior CID official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Sunday Morning that the six investigation teams had already commenced work and were expected to complete their inquiries as expeditiously as possible, although no timeline had been fixed yet for submitting the final report. 

The official also confirmed that no one had been taken into custody in connection with the riot so far. 

The six teams have already commenced investigations into every aspect of the incident, including the sequence of events leading to the violence, the circumstances surrounding the deaths, possible intelligence failures, and whether shortcomings in prison administration contributed to the tragedy, it is learnt. 

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as investigations remain ongoing, said that the inquiry was progressing rapidly and was expected to be completed as soon as possible.

“No one has been taken into custody in connection with the incident so far. At this stage, our priority is to establish exactly what happened, identify those responsible, and determine whether there were institutional failures that allowed the situation to escalate,” the official said. 

Investigators are also examining whether Prisons officers acted within the limits permitted under the law while attempting to suppress the violence after hundreds of inmates allegedly turned against correctional officers. 

“The law permits the use of reasonable force under certain circumstances. We have to determine whether the force used remained proportionate to the threat faced by officers during the operation,” the official explained. 

According to preliminary findings, the violence appears to have originated from a dispute linked to narcotics inside the prison. However, investigators cautioned that the motive remained subject to verification through witness statements, forensic examinations, intelligence gathered from within the prison system, and other evidence. 

The inquiry is also expected to examine whether prior intelligence regarding tensions inside the prison had been adequately assessed and acted upon before the violence erupted.

Meanwhile, the Department of Prisons has initiated a separate investigation focusing on operational and administrative issues, including prison management, security procedures, and the events leading up to the riot. 

Prisons Commissioner – Operations, Intelligence, and Security and Media Spokesperson – Covering Up Duties A.C. Gajanayake said that the immediate violence had been contained, although the Negombo Prison had not returned to normal operations yet. 

“The situation is under control, but normal prison operations have not resumed yet. Security personnel continue to be deployed where necessary to maintain order,” he said. 

As part of emergency security measures, Prisons authorities have transferred approximately 1,000 inmates from the Negombo Prison to correctional facilities across the country, while all female inmates have been relocated to the Wariyapola Prison to reduce tensions within the institution.

Gajanayake said that the transfers were intended to restore stability while investigations continued. 

The incident has once again drawn attention to Sri Lanka’s severely overcrowded prison system. “Our prison system was originally designed to accommodate around 11,000 inmates. Today, nearly 40,000 prisoners are being housed within these facilities,” Gajanayake said.