2ND LEAD

Police shoot dead 6 inmates in Kalutura prison

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 April 2009, 05:13 GMT]
Six Sinhalese prisoners were shot dead by prison guards and another four received gunshot injuries, when they attempted to escape from the Kalutara prison in the early hours on Wednesday, prison officials said.

Kalutura police who visited the prison interrogated the guards who opened fire on the escaping prisoners and the prison officials.

One of the prison officials is alleged to have said that the prisoners killed were members of the underworld operating with the help of some senior cabinet ministers.

Security has been beefed up around the prison to prevent clashes between the inmates and the prison guards.

More than 350 Tamil political detainees from North and East are held in Kalutura prison without any legal action being taken on them for a long time.