India
Sri Lanka crisis: Probe ordered whether prison inmates employed to attack anti-government protesters
Jail authorities of Sri Lanka have launched an investigation on the allegations raised claiming that a group of inmates from the Watareka Open Prison Camp were used to attack protestors in Colombo recently, Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya was quoted as saying by the News First website.
Footage posted on social media following the attack on peaceful protests showed locals detaining a group of men who later claimed that they were prisoners from the Watareka Open Prison Camp, the report added.
It was observed that the pants worn by the group of detained men were identical to those worn by people who were among the group that attacked peaceful protests on Monday in Colombo, a report by news agency Associated Press said.
The report quoting the Commissioner-General of Prisons said that the men were not wearing prison fatigues, but were wearing a uniform provided to them by the institutions that employed their services.
The Commissioner-General of Prisons, and another officer will be present at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on Thursday for an inquiry over the matter.
Violence erupted in Sri Lanka on Monday after supporters of former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked peaceful anti-government protesters demanding his ouster over the country’s worst economic crisis that led to acute shortages of staple food, fuel and power.
Over 200 people have also been injured in the violence in Colombo and other cities, news agency PTI reported.
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