Mahara Prison riots: High-level committee appointed to probe conspirators

Wednesday, 5 August 2026 07:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara

A high-level committee headed by Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has been appointed to investigate the recent Mahara Prison unrest, address prison overcrowding, expedite Government Analyst reports and strengthen prison security.

The committee has also been tasked with investigating whether the violence in Negombo and Mahara prisons was part of an organised attempt to sabotage the prison network.

Making a special statement in Parliament yesterday, Nanayakkara said the committee comprises Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, senior ministry secretaries, and representatives of the Police, the Government Analyst’s Department and the Attorney General’s Department.

He said the committee has also been tasked with recommending measures to improve prison security and prevent similar incidents from spreading to other prisons.

Nanayakkara alleged that the scale and nature of the violence indicated it was not spontaneous but a coordinated operation aimed at causing extensive damage to prison infrastructure.

“It is clear that the intention of those who carried out these acts was to sabotage Mahara Prison. If there are organised conspirators behind this incident, we will not hesitate to take action against them. Necessary action will be taken,” he told Parliament.

Nanayakkara, who gave a detailed account of the Mahara Prison riots, stressed that the Mahara incident was fundamentally different from the recent unrest at Negombo Prison, which authorities have attributed to a dispute over drugs among inmates.

“In Negombo, prison officials were able to identify the cause as a dispute between inmates. However, in Mahara, investigations have so far found nothing similar that could have triggered such widespread violence,” he said.

He said that when disputes arise among inmates, three or four people might join in, but during the Mahara Prison riots, nearly a thousand inmates acted together, and the scale of the destruction was massive.

Appealing to the families of inmates, Nanayakkara urged them to discourage their relatives from engaging in such acts, noting that the damaged prison infrastructure had been built with public funds and would have to be rebuilt using taxpayers’ money.

“The parents of these inmates should understand that these buildings were destroyed with taxpayers’ money and will have to be rebuilt using taxpayers’ money,” he said, adding that only a small group of inmates was responsible for instigating the violence.

He also said the Government was currently working to improve prison facilities and expedite Government Analyst reports, urging inmates not to forfeit their welfare benefits through acts of violence.

The Minister revealed that authorities had received intelligence regarding similar incidents that could occur in two or three other prisons, and that prison authorities had already been alerted while security had been strengthened.

“We have established the necessary coordination to control any situation that may arise and to minimise the loss of life under any circumstances,” he assured. (SS)