By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The Prison Engineering Division has estimated that the Chapel section of the Welikada Prison has suffered a loss of around Rs. 10 million due to the protest staged by the inmates, the Prisons Department said.  

Prisons Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said that a group of long-serving prisoners who had launched a protest on the roof top of the Chapel section of the Welikada Prison demanding a general pardon, had ended the protest on Wednesday .  

A group of 54 inmates had been protesting on the roof of the prison building since September 20, demanding a general amnesty for a group of prisoners serving the death sentence, life imprisonment and long-term imprisonment.  

Several inmates had got onto the roof top from time to time while the discussions were being held with the authorities. However, eight inmates were continually protesting from the rooftop.  

He said Intelligence reports had revealed that the prisoners involved in this protest were being manipulated by outsiders.  

The Spokesman said that prison tactical force had managed to get the eight protesting inmates down from the rooftop  in a tactical manner without causing any harm to them .  

The spokesman also said that as per the instructions of the Minister of Justice, a committees had been appointed at the institutional level and the headquarters to grant pardon for inmates and steps were being taken to submit the necessary reports to the Minister of Justice.  

Mr. Ekanayake said that a complaint had been lodged with the Borella Police regarding damage caused to government property and harassment of other prisoners by the protesting inmates .

-Prison tactical force had managed to get the eight protesting inmates  down from the rooftop  in a tactical manner without causing any harm to  them   -A group of long-serving prisoners had launched a protest on the rooftop of the Chapel section of the Welikada Prison demanding a general  pardon

-Several inmates had got onto the roof top from time to time while the discussions were being held with the authorities

-Intelligence reports had revealed that the prisoners involved in this protest were being manipulated by outsiders