Massive protest breaks out in Sri Lanka over prison riot

A massive protest was staged outside the main prison in Sri Lanka's capital on Tuesday with hundreds of protesters demanding for an investigation into a prison riot in 2012 which left at least 27 inmates dead and several others injured.

The protesters called on the new Sri Lankan government to hold a speedy investigation citing that the former government had not held a partial inquiry into the killings.

Sri Lanka's new deputy minister of justice, Sujeewa Senasinghe who was present at the site of the protest informed the protesters and family members of the killed inmates that the government had called for a report within two months into the riot and assured that a thorough investigation would be held.

Senasinghe said that the investigation conducted by the former government had been dismissed and the new government had appointed a commission to probe the matter.

He called on the witnesses to make their statements to the commission so that a final report on the matter could be handed over to President Maithripala Sirisena.

The protest for a proper investigation followed allegations that prison guards had shot some of the inmates during the riots.

The riot broke out in November 2012 between the inmates and the prison guards after police commandos attempted to search the prison for illegal items.

Gunfire erupted, with guards firing on prisoners who tried to escape after commandos entered the jail, taking prisoners out of their cells and handcuffing them.

The prisoners had seized weapons from the prison's weapon store during the confrontation and the army was called in to bring the situation under control.

The riot was the worst in Sri Lanka's history and opposition parties criticized the former government for not conducting a thorough investigation. Endi