Minister Wimal Weerawansa informed Parliament today that an unrest had broken out at the Mahara Prison not due to congestion, but due to the activities of a group of drug dealers.
Minister Weerawansa said that a group led by drug convict “Chathura” who is an accomplice of notorious underworld figure “Samayang” had conducted trials of a particular narcotic called “Sarath” at the Welikada prison.
The drug is reported to have made inmates behave violently, pushing them to the extreme of committing murder, after consumption.
The Prison intelligence unit had received reports on the matter and had foiled the attempt to distribute more drugs at the Welikada prison, but the narcotic had been distributed at the Mahara Prison, he said.
Minister Wimal Weerawansa said the intention of the group is to create a string of deaths to look like organized murders within prisons, as they are unable to carryout drug operations under the present Government.
He also said this was a plan to disrepute the President to show the world that similar incident like the Welikada riots in 2012 were reoccurring.
Meanwhile, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the overcrowding of prisons due to delay in judicial proceedings of inmates convicted of minor offences was the main cause for the unrest.
He said the incident could have been avoided if the Government had addressed these key issues, and not staged a ‘Sherlock Holmes’ styled story such as opening fire at inmates. (NewsWire)