Unrest broke out at the Kuruwita Prison in the Ratnapura district on Friday morning, and police used tear gas to bring the situation under control, Hiru News reported.
Police confirmed the use of tear gas at the facility. No information has been released so far on what triggered the disturbance, how many inmates were involved, or whether anyone was injured.
Second prison flare-up in under 12 hours
The incident comes hours after a separate disturbance at Colombo’s Magazine Prison in Borella late on Thursday night, where inmates in the ‘E’ ward left the ward and behaved in a disorderly manner. Police said that unrest — reported to have been triggered by a dispute over illicit drugs among inmates — was brought under control after riot units and Special Task Force officers were deployed.
The two incidents follow a difficult period for Sri Lanka’s prison system. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara told Parliament on Thursday that the report of the committee appointed to investigate the violent unrest at the Negombo Prison on 5 July has been presented to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. That clash killed 22 inmates and 10 prison officers, and left 106 inmates and 21 officers injured, he said.
Overcrowding and the circulation of narcotics inside prisons have been raised repeatedly as underlying pressures on the system. The Department of Prisons has put the national prison population at around 40,000 against a system designed to hold about 11,000, with some 30,000 of those held on remand.
Authorities have not yet issued a formal statement on the Kuruwita incident. This report will be updated as details are confirmed.
