News
155 T-56 automatic weapons used in Welikade Prison massacre
A total of 158 weapons carried by Army personnel into the Welikada Prison, on the day of the Welikada Prison incident of 9.11 2012, has been sent to the Government Analyst, to ascertain how many of them were used to quell the unrest in the prison, which left 27 inmates dead and several others injured.
Of the 158 weapons, 155 T-56 automatic weapons were carried by the Army personnel, while 3 pistols belonged to police officials on the scene that day.
Police investigations into the incident reveal that some of the automatic weapons found near the bodies of several inmates, were those deposited in the Prison armoury, after they were recovered by Army personnel who entered the premises several hours after the unrest began.
An Army Sergeant had handed over the weapons to the Prison armoury, and details of the weapon entered into a log book there.
The Police recorded statements from 10 persons in connection with the incident. These include prison officials, eyewitnesses from among the prisoners and next-of-kin of some of the deceased prisoners.
An Army Sergeant from whom the Police recorded a statement, said that Army personnel had collected weapons belonging to prison officials, and handed them over to the armoury. However, a senior Prisons officer had later removed 4 T-56 weapons from the armory and, it is suspected that the same 4 weapons were found near the bodies of prisoners.
The Prisons official photographer was also questioned, and his camera and the computer into which the photographs were uploaded, were also examined. A 3-member committee found that photos taken by the Prisons official photographer did not show any weapons near the prisoners’ bodies but, T-56 weapons are clearly seen near the bodies, when the Magistrate visited the scene for the inquest. It is believed weapons were introduced later.
Police also found that a senior police officer had visited the Prisons on the day of the incident, and called several prisoners by name to come forward. When they presented themselves, this officer verified their identity with their photos in his phone and then taken them away. Some of them were among those later found shot dead. Police last week reported to the Colombo Magistrate Court on the progress of their investigations.
Meanwhile, the Writ Application filed, ordering a full investigation into the incident, by Wellaage Suresh Nandimal De Silva, a Prison inmate at the time of the incident, will be taken up for hearing tomorrow.