Post-mortem examinations conducted on victims of the recent violence at Negombo Prison have revealed that 14 of the 24 bodies examined died from gunshot wounds, while nine others succumbed to fatal blunt force injuries sustained during violent assaults.
A five-member panel of senior Judicial Medical Officers, chaired by Dr. Sujeewa Wickramasinghe, carried out autopsies on 24 of the 28 bodies transferred to Negombo Hospital. The panel also included Dr. Prasanna Appuhamy, Dr. Samantha Wijerathne, Dr. Saminda Rajapaksha and Dr. Ramesh Aggiyawanna.
According to the forensic findings, the prison officers who died from blunt force injuries had sustained severe traumatic head injuries, indicating they had been subjected to brutal physical assaults during the unrest. One of the 24 cases received an open verdict pending further investigations.
Meanwhile, proceedings relating to the prison fatalities continued on Wednesday (9) before the Maligakanda Magistrate's Court. The court was informed of the death of a prison officer who succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo. The recording of evidence in relation to that death has now been concluded.
Authorities have released the bodies of the 24 victims whose post-mortem examinations have been completed to their families for final rites. Post-mortem examinations on the remaining four bodies are still underway, with officials confirming that one of the deceased awaiting examination is an Indian national.
The investigations are being conducted under the direction of Negombo Chief Magistrate Shilani Perera, who has instructed the judicial medical panel to expedite the submission of all remaining post-mortem reports. The Magistrate has also directed police to submit a comprehensive report detailing the circumstances that led to the deadly prison violence, which claimed the lives of eight prison officers and 21 inmates.
