Opposition MP Ajith P. Perera on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, accusing him of failing to effectively manage the crisis that unfolded at Negombo Prison and questioning the government’s overall response to the deadly violence.
Speaking during a debate in Parliament, Perera said the minister had failed to explain what concrete measures were taken from the time the first clashes erupted inside the prison on Sunday afternoon until the violence escalated the following day.
He alleged that despite reports of an initial clash between inmate groups, fatalities, injuries, and protests by female inmates, the authorities failed to separate rival groups, reinforce security, or take urgent steps to restore order before the situation deteriorated further.
Perera also questioned the absence of senior government intervention, asking whether emergency meetings had been convened, whether the military or specially trained prison tactical units had been deployed in time, and whether the area magistrate had been informed and involved as required following the reported deaths inside the prison.
He further criticised the continued failure to appoint a permanent Commissioner General of Prisons, arguing that the department had been operating without stable leadership for an extended period despite repeated warnings raised in Parliament about weaknesses within the prison administration.
Referring to the Justice Minister’s comments to the media on Monday, Perera said: “The Justice Minister said he did not know whether 10, 15 or 20 people had died, adding that he had not been able to check social media for the past two hours. If the minister responsible for the country’s prisons cannot obtain information directly about such a major incident and has to rely on social media, what is the purpose of having a minister?”
Perera argued that a minister responsible for the prison system should have been receiving real-time updates from prison officials and security authorities, rather than expressing uncertainty over the scale of the tragedy.
He also questioned why prison authorities had attempted to resume routine court transfers on Monday morning despite the prison remaining under severe tension following the previous day’s violence, claiming the situation had clearly not been brought under control.
The opposition MP called on the government to provide a full timeline of its response, including the decisions taken by the Justice Ministry, the President, law enforcement authorities and prison officials, and said the public deserved answers on how one of the deadliest prison incidents in recent years was allowed to escalate. (Newswire)