Police say they only entered the Negombo Prison after receiving a written request for assistance from prison authorities on July 6, a day after the first violent incident was reported.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Chandana Kodituwakku, speaking to journalist Kalindu Karunaratne on Ada Derana’s Big Focus, said police had remained on standby outside the prison on July 5 but did not enter the premises as no formal request had been made at the time.
He said a letter was later sent by the Commissioner General of Prisons to the Inspector General of Police on the morning of July 6, requesting assistance from the Police and the Special Task Force (STF).
“We were on standby outside. But we do not enter a prison unless the prison authorities request us to do so. The letter from the Commissioner General of Prisons to the IGP was written on the morning of July 6, after the incident. It requested the assistance of the STF and the Police. It was only after that request that we entered the prison and carried out our duties,” DIG Kodituwakku said.
The DIG said police then moved in to support prison authorities and assist in bringing the situation under control.
He also said initial information suggests that some inmates had consumed medicine taken from the prison pharmacy after it was damaged, and that they may have been under the influence during the unrest on the morning of July 6.
According to the DIG, CCTV systems and body scanners inside the prison had also been damaged, raising suspicions that the incident was not accidental.
He said investigations are still underway and that several matters, including whether weapons were taken or used during the clash, will be determined through the ongoing inquiry. (Newswire)