Indian High Commission in Colombo sends note verbale to Sri Lanka over Negombo prison riot death

The Indian mission sent a note verbale to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on learning about the Indian prisoner’s death in the violence, sources said.

Published - July 10, 2026 05:15 pm IST - COLOMBO

By Meera Srinivasan

The High Commission of India in Colombo is in touch with Sri Lankan authorities and the family of the Indian inmate who was among those killed in the recent prison riots, sources told The Hindu on Friday (July 10, 2026). However, neither the Sri Lankan nor Indian authorities have officially commented on the development.

The victim, U. Sarathchandran, 73, was killed in the deadly clashes that broke out in a prison in Negombo on July 6. Negombo is located about 35 km north of Colombo and adjoins the Bandaranaike International Airport. A total of 28 persons, including eight prison officers, were killed in the riots — one of the most violent episodes witnessed in Sri Lankan prisons. Over 100 inmates were injured. Soon after the riots, authorities moved over 1,000 prisoners, including some Indian nationals in custody, from the Negombo prison to other prisons across the island.

While the Indian inmate is said to have hailed from Kerala, relatives in his native village earlier told The Hindu that he had moved to Chennai over four decades ago, maintaining no contact with his village. “His family prefers to keep details of imprisonment and the circumstances of his death private,” an official source said, requesting anonymity.

Sources confirmed that the Indian mission had sent a note verbale to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on learning about the Indian prisoner’s death.

According to initial investigations, the riots were triggered after rival gangs clashed over some members tipping off prison authorities about a drug operation on the premises.

Rights defenders have long flagged chronic overcrowding in Sri Lankan prisons, which has severely impacted living conditions and safety.

Prisoners of Violence: On Sri Lanka’s Prison Riots

Amid long-standing concerns about severe overcrowding in prisons, the Anura Kumara Dissanayake administration has decided to expand its prison capacity, including at an old hospital facility, to manage the crisis. Official data show that Sri Lanka houses around 42,000 inmates across its 22 prisons, with drug-related offences accounting for about two-thirds of the prison population. Official reports point out that the island’s prison system is operating at thrice its capacity.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has launched an investigation into the violence at Negombo Prison and subsequent reports of attacks in other prisons. The Commission, in a statement issued on Friday, said it would probe:

• The circumstances leading to the violence, deaths, and injuries of inmates and prison officers
• Allegations of torture and ill-treatment of transferred inmates
• Denial of access to Commission staff who sought to visit Welikada Prison in Colombo
• The reported death of two inmates in prison custody

The government has appointed a committee headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court to carry out an investigation into the incident, while the Police Criminal Investigation Department is also pursuing a probe.