Nov 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today blamed the government's military mentality for the Welikada prison clash that resulted in the death of 27 persons while injuring another 43 people.

The JVP politburo issuing a statement said the government is of the habit of deploying personnel from security forces to carry out many activities.

Authorities have deployed the elite Special Task Force police to assist the prison officials to conduct the search for narcotics and illegal communication devices in the prison complex.

The party stated that it was the use of military personnel in a prison search operation that had resulted in the clash within the prison that led to a shootout.

According to the JVP, the Welikada Prison clash was an occasion that has shown the adverse impact of using military personnel for a task that is usually carried out by the prison authorities.

The party called on the authorities to conduct an independent inquiry into the clash.