Sri Lanka deploys troops to contain deadly riot at overcrowded Mahara Prison

Sri Lanka has deployed hundreds of troops and elite commandos to quell riots at an overcrowded prison, where an inmate was killed and six others wounded, police reported. Deputy police inspector-general Sanjeewa Medawatte stated that the situation has been brought under control after inmates ransacked multiple structures inside Mahara Prison on Saturday, located just outside the capital city of Colombo.

"We received reinforcements from the armed forces and Special Task Force commandos to restore order and return the inmates to their cells," Medawatte informed reporters outside the facility.

The prison's unrest echoes a similar incident in November 2020, when a riot resulted in the deaths of 11 inmates and nearly 120 others being wounded. This recent unrest occurred nearly a month after another prison riot in the same region, claiming the lives of 10 guards and 21 inmates. Medawatte revealed that inmates at Mahara Prison had completely demolished the kitchen, hospital, recently constructed rehabilitation facility, and vocational training centers.

The prison houses 4,100 inmates, approximately four times its intended capacity, a common issue across the country's jails. In a recent development, authorities announced plans to convert unused state buildings into prisons. Over three-quarters of the inmates in Sri Lanka are remand prisoners awaiting trial, with most of them convicted for drug offenses.