CrimePoliticsGeneralHOTWednesday, July 8, 2026

Negombo Prison Clash Claims Up To 28 Lives, Over 100 Injured

TLDR

Negombo Prison clash: 28 dead; causes include beatings & gunshots.
2 transferred inmates died; Indian national S. Unnikrishnan among dead.
CID now leads probe; SLHRC also investigating violence.
Minor July 8th unrest led to female detainee transfers.

A violent clash at Negombo Prison has resulted in a significant death toll, with reports indicating up to 28 individuals, including prison officers and inmates, lost their lives. The unrest, which began on July 5th and escalated the following day, also left approximately 100 people injured, 20 of whom remain in serious condition. As a safety measure, over 1,000 inmates were transferred to other facilities, but this has been followed by the deaths of at least two transferred inmates. The funeral for Chief Jailer S.H.G. Chandrawansa, who died during the incident, is scheduled for July 9th.

5 Updates

Update #6\u00b7 Jul 10 · 2:46 PM

The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) has begun collecting and evaluating evidence related to the Negombo prison violence and subsequent incidents in other prisons. Separately, the Negombo Chief Magistrate ordered on July 10th that all investigations into the clash, previously handled by Negombo Police, be transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), following a request from the CID.

Update #5\u00b7 Jul 9 · 2:31 PM

Investigations into the Negombo prison clash have been officially handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), following a court order obtained on July 9th. Post-mortem examinations for 24 deceased individuals have been completed, and their bodies have been handed over to relatives. An open verdict has been issued for one detainee's death. One source also mentions the killing of 29 individuals, a figure differing from the previously confirmed toll of 28.

Update #4\u00b7 Jul 9 · 1:02 PM

Post-mortem examinations on 24 individuals, including prison officers and detainees, from the July 5th and 6th clash have revealed that prison officers died from inhumane beatings causing severe head injuries. The examinations further indicated that 14 deaths were due to gunshots and 9 deaths were due to beatings. Separately, authorities have transferred other Indian nationals detained at Negombo prison to different facilities for security reasons. The overall death toll was confirmed to have risen to 28 by July 8th.

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