Petition filed seeking investigation into assault on prison inmates

A Writ Petition has been filed before the Court of Appeal calling for an order to be issued requesting the Inspector General of Police to launch an investigation into the assault incidents reported within the Angunakolapelessa Prison premises.

The petition was filed by Sudesh Nandimal of ‘Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners’.

Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms Thalatha Atukorale, the Inspector General of Police, Director of Criminal Investigation Department, Superintendent of Angunakolapelessa Prison and the Commissioner General of Police and three others have been named as the respondent of the petition.

The petitioners have stated that broad information has already been recovered with regard to the assault on the prison inmates.

CCTV footage purportedly captured from within the Angunakolapelessa Prison revealed a group clad-in the uniform of prisons officers assaulting the inmates.

However, the CID has not conducted a proper investigation into the incident despite the complaint lodged by them, the petitioners have further said.

Accordingly, the petitioners have sought the Appeals Court to order the IGP to launch a broad investigation on the assault.

The prisons officials are reported to have assaulted the inmates on the 22nd of November last year while the footage of the incident was released last month.