COLOMBO: Elite commandos backed by hundreds of soldiers stormed an overcrowded prison near Sri Lanka’s capital Sunday after inmates went on a rampage, killing one prisoner, wounding six others, and gutting entire sections of the facility.
The bloodshed at Mahara Prison marks the latest explosion of violence inside a detention system buckling under extreme overcrowding. Just one month ago, a riot at another nearby lockup left 10 guards and 21 prisoners dead. In November 2020, guards shot and killed 11 inmates during unrest at this same complex, wounding nearly 120 others.
Deputy police inspector-general Sanjeewa Medawatte said reinforcements from the army and the Special Task Force commandos moved in to force prisoners back into their cells after Saturday’s destruction. “The situation is under control,” he told reporters outside the prison gates.
Inmates completely destroyed the kitchen, the hospital, and a newly constructed rehabilitation center, along with vocational training workshops, Medawatte confirmed. The facility currently holds 4,100 prisoners: roughly four times the number it was designed to accommodate.
That staggering ratio reflects a nationwide crisis. Across Sri Lanka, most jails operate far beyond their intended limits. Authorities recently floated a plan to convert abandoned government buildings into detention centers as a pressure-release valve.
The deeper problem lies in who fills these cells. More than three-quarters of the country’s inmates are remand prisoners awaiting trial, not convicted criminals. Most face drug-related charges, creating a bottleneck that leaves thousands languishing behind bars for months or years without a verdict.
As Sri Lanka grapples with an overwhelmed justice system, the deadly cycle inside its prisons shows no sign of breaking.
