Negombo Prison declared crime scene, no longer suitable to house inmates

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The prison authorities determined that the Negombo Prison premises, which were damaged during the recent prison unrest, was no longer suitable to house inmates.   

The Ministry of Justice and National Integration said that following the violence that unfolded at the Negombo Prison on July 5 and 6, 2026, the prison was extensively damaged and officially classified as a crime scene.   

“As a result, the majority of the detainees were temporarily transferred to other prisons to ensure their safety while allowing investigators to conduct uninterrupted inquiries at the scene,” the Ministry said.   

The Ministry said the premises at Mahamodara and Old Bogambara have been designated as temporary prisons until extensive renovation work at the Negombo Prison is completed, following the violent unrest that severely damaged the facility.   

The Ministry said the emergency transfers have further intensified overcrowding across the country’s prison system. To address the increased inmate population and ensure the welfare of prisoners, the Ministry said authorities identified the need for additional temporary accommodation.   

Accordingly, two Extraordinary Gazettes were issued designating the closed Mahamodara Hospital and the Old Bogambara premises as temporary prisons.   

The Bogambara Prison closed its doors on January 1, 2014, after operating for 138 years as Sri Lanka’s second-largest maximum-security facility. Then the Government made the decision to permanently shut down the complex in late 2013 due to severe inmate congestion, deteriorating infrastructure, and Kandy’s municipal development plans. To improve living conditions and modernize detention, all serving inmates and high-risk prisoners were systematically transferred to the newly constructed, Dumbara Prison complex in Pallekele   

Following its closure, the 13-acre historic property was handed over to the Urban Development Authority to preserve its colonial architecture and archaeological value. In 2019, the Government launched a redevelopment project to transform the site into a multi-use tourist hub called the Bogambara Cultural Park.