Mahara Prison | |
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General information | |
Town or city | Mahara |
Country | Sri Lanka |
Construction started | 1875 |
Completed | 1875 |
Client | British Government Sri Lankan Government |
Mahara Prison is a maximum security prison, and is one of the largest prisons in Sri Lanka. Situated in the town of Mahara in the Western Province, it was built in 1875 by the British colonial government to ease the congestion at the Slave Island prison. [1] [2] It was used to house the prisoners employed in crushing stones at the Mahara quarry. The stone was used to construct the Port of Colombo and its associated breakwaters. [3] Since its establishment, it has had a police post attached to it. The prison is administered by the Department of Prisons.
There was a revolt at the quarry and an escape by 79 inmates around 2:00 pm on 28 June 1902. Prison officers on guard were assaulted and the revolver of the deputy jailor was seized by the riot leader. An army team, headed by Major Bishop and assisted by the jailor, were able to take into custody forty escapees from the neighbourhood. This was the first and the biggest ever escape in the history of the Sri Lanka prisons. [1] [4]
A riot broke out in the facility on 30 November 2020, resulting in the deaths of eight prisoners. The riot occurred after rumors spread that other Sri Lankan prisons were transferring their prisoners infected with COVID-19 to Mahara. [5] [6]
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Events from the year 2012 in Sri Lanka.
This page lists notable events that took place during the year 2020 in Sri Lanka.
Mahara prison riot was an arson attack which took place between the prison inmates and police officials from 29 November 2020 to 30 November 2020 at the Mahara Prison in Sri Lanka at the outskirts of the capital city of Colombo in Mahara. As of 30 November 2020, 11 inmates were reportedly killed and about 117 inmates were severely injured during the prison riot. Police guards opened fire to control the arson attack and also in order to prevent a jail break. A fire also spread from the Mahara fire following gun shots, and most of the deceased inmates succumbed to gun shots. It was revealed that prison inmates set fire to the kitchens inside the prison facility and briefly took two wardens hostage. The riots occurred following the rumours and speculations regarding the transferring of COVID-19 infected prisoners to Mahara Prison from other crowded prisons. Initially the prison inmates staged unrest demanding the officials and authorities to increase the PCR testing following the surge in COVID-19 cases in Sri Lankan prisons. Prior to the riots, around 12 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19.
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