• Calls for quotations for body cameras, riot gear
• Rs. 13.7 m allocated for riot helmets, batons, shields 
• 3 inmates killed, 23 injured within 24 hours 
• Ministers suspect coordinated sabotage behind unrest

The Government has called for quotations to purchase 20 body cameras for the protection of prison officers, according to Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. 

A further Rs. 13.7 million has been allocated to purchase 150 riot helmets, 300 batons, and 300 riot shields, with steps underway to call for quotations, the Minister said in Parliament, as authorities moved to strengthen security across the prison system following a spate of violent incidents in recent weeks.

Nanayakkara said conflicts had occurred in prisons in the past and could occur again, stressing that the Government’s objective was to minimise such incidents and ensure they were brought under control quickly while protecting lives and property.

Dissanayake has appointed a Cabinet committee, chaired by Nanayakkara, to address the issue. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala is also serving on the committee, which includes representatives from the Attorney General’s Department, Government Analyst’s Department, Defence Ministry, Public Security Ministry, Justice and National Integration Ministry, and Department of Prisons.

Nanayakkara said that the President had also submitted a Cabinet memorandum dated 3 August proposing the appointment of a special committee to examine the causes of severe overcrowding within Sri Lanka’s prison system and recommend immediate and long-term solutions. 

The committee will examine the factors contributing to overcrowding and recommend measures to expedite inmates’ court cases and reduce delays in issuing Government Analyst reports. It will also review bail procedures, alternative sentencing, and community-based rehabilitation while identifying necessary legal amendments and administrative reforms. It has additionally been tasked with proposing measures to improve prison capacity and facilities, and must submit its final report to the President and the Cabinet within the stipulated period.

Public Security Minister Wijepala told Parliament on Friday (7) that the string of violent incidents at prisons across the country in recent weeks had raised suspicions of a coordinated conspiracy or sabotage campaign, as unrest spread to three facilities within 24 hours from Thursday (6) night. 

Making a statement in Parliament, the Minister said that three inmates had been killed and 23 others injured in separate disturbances at the Borella Magazine and Kuruwita Prisons between the night of Thursday (6) and Friday (7) morning, while a group of inmates at the Pallansena Correctional Centre for Youthful Offenders in Negombo had climbed onto the roof in protest.

An incident broke out at the Magazine Prison shortly before midnight on Thursday, leaving one inmate dead and 10 injured. The Department of Prisons said nine inmates were subsequently transferred to another facility and that the situation had been brought under control, with the Police, Police Special Task Force (STF), and armed forces personnel deployed to strengthen security.

A separate disturbance erupted at the Kuruwita Prison on Friday morning, leaving two inmates dead; 13 injured inmates were admitted to the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital. Later on Friday, inmates at the Pallansena centre launched their rooftop protest, prompting a joint Police and armed forces response. Security was also strengthened at the Anuradhapura Prison, with Army personnel deployed around the facility by Friday afternoon.

Wijepala said the unrest had begun at the Welikada Prison, where around 40 inmates had emerged from their cells at about 10.15 p.m. on Wednesday (5), and had gradually spread to other facilities, including Pallansena. One inmate was killed and 10 others injured in that incident, with the injured receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo, before disturbances followed at Kuruwita.

“Based on the intelligence received and the investigations conducted so far, we have begun to suspect whether these are conspiratorial acts of sabotage,” Wijepala said, adding that drug trafficking and organised criminal activity had been identified as the most immediate factors behind the disturbances. “When all these prison incidents are considered together, they appear to be taking place according to some form of plan,” he said.

On Friday (7) afternoon, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a discussion on conditions in the country’s prisons and measures to ensure inmate safety and security. The meeting decided to establish a joint mechanism covering all 33 prisons starting next week to identify and address inmates’ concerns, oversee their welfare, and coordinate emergency responses. 

The mechanism will include prison officials, the Police, the STF, and, where necessary, the armed forces and other relevant stakeholders. It would also engage directly with inmates to better understand and address their concerns, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.   

The unrest follows Sri Lanka’s deadliest prison clash in over a decade, in which 10 prison officers and 22 inmates were killed over two days of fighting between rival inmate groups at the Negombo Prison on 5 and 6 July – the worst such incident since the 2012 Welikada Prison massacre, and the first in which prison officers died. A riot at the Mahara Prison on 1 August left one person dead and six injured. In total, five such incidents have been reported since 5 July.

Meanwhile, the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) has separately raised suspicions that a hidden hand may be behind the repeated unrest. Convenor Sudesh Nandimal Silva said that overcrowding alone could not explain the disturbances, alleging that organised drug trafficking involving corrupt prison officials was a contributing factor, and urged the Government to act firmly if the unrest was being instigated for political ends.