Overview
- A clash between inmates at Mahara Prison on Saturday left one prisoner dead and six to seven others wounded, with police saying one of the injured later died after being removed to hospital.
- Officials sent Special Task Force commandos and soldiers to guard the prison perimeter and restore order after inmates destroyed key facilities inside the complex.
- Authorities reported significant damage to the prison, including destruction of the kitchen, hospital and a newly built rehabilitation and training block.
- The Mahara violence follows a deadly early‑July riot in Negombo and adds pressure to a system where official figures show prisons holding about four times their designed capacity.
- Relatives gathered outside the jail seeking information as multiple investigations continue and the government faces renewed calls to speed up promised conversions of disused state buildings into new prison space.