Sri Lankan Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Thursday called for an independent investigation into deaths at Negombo prison, accusing the government of concealing the true circumstances behind the incident.

Premadasa, leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, said the government's national security justifications did not withstand scrutiny. He demanded that the Committee on Public Accounts and human rights bodies be granted access to prison records and the detainees involved. He alleged that basic custodial safeguards were ignored and that families had not been given full information about how their relatives died.

The deaths have placed pressure on Justice and Prisons authorities to explain the use of force. Government officials have defended the response, framing the events as a security operation.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has faced calls from civil society groups to open its own inquiry. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has urged transparency in the handling of the case.

"The people of this country deserve the truth, not a cover-up dressed up as national security," Premadasa said, according to remarks reported by Sri Lankan media.