Attorney Harshana Nanayakkara stated that, as Minister of Justice, he accepts responsibility for the clash at the Negombo Prison.
He further said that he was deeply shaken and saddened by the incident. Speaking to the media this afternoon (6th), he explained that since the clash occurred within an institution under his purview, he must take responsibility for it.
The minister noted that the situation has now been brought under control but emphasised that the loss of life cannot be accepted and that measures must be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
He added that the clash had arisen between two underworld gangs and that officials had acted to the best of their ability to resolve it.
“There is a profound shock over the loss of human lives. We must express deep sorrow and regret to the families of those who died. We need to investigate what happened and ensure such events do not recur. This is not about blaming anyone.
Truly, I am shaken because this happened in an institution under my charge as minister of justice. Therefore, I must accept responsibility.
Now the task is not merely to regret, but to examine how this happened, where the problem lay, whether anyone acted wrongly, and how to prevent such issues in the future. Solutions must be found quickly.
Sometimes such things occur, but they cannot be normalised or minimised because human lives have been lost. We must look deeper into this.
Our sorrow and shock for the families of the deceased is undiminished. Whether he was a prisoner or a gangster is irrelevant. Human lives were lost, and that is a grave tragedy. Responsibility lies with me as minister of justice since it happened in an institution under my authority.
I say this as part of the government. That is why I accepted responsibility as minister of justice. Whether the entire government should bear responsibility, I cannot say. But as minister of justice, I must.”
