Army acted within military doctrine

Chaminda Perera

The Army while vehemently refuting Opposition allegation of a prison massacre last Friday within the premises of the Welikada prison yesterday, insisted that they acted within the military doctrine. According to Army Spokesman Brigadier Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, Army personnel acted in a professional manner to bring the situation under control.

“Not a single prisoner was shot at indiscriminately as alleged by the Opposition”, he said.

He said the Army were deployed to control the situation on a request by the Police as the riotous prisoners were beyond their control.

No action was taken beyond the prescribed Army doctrine in this instance, he said. Meanwhile Police spokesman SSP Prishantha Jayakody said that Police started a search operation for drugs and many other illegal items that may have got into the hands of prisoners, on the request of Prisons Department.

He said CID officials are in the process of recording statements from all parties who were in the scene.

Twenty one bodies of inmates which were brought to the Police morgue were handed over to relatives by yesterday after the post mortem examination, while five more bodies are yet to be identified.