Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Friday charged that an effort was being made in certain quarters to “suppress” the case involving the alleged murder of a life convict Manjula Shetye inside the Byculla women’s prison on June 23.
Participating in a calling attention debate on the death of Manjula at the Byculla jail, Pawar demanded that a thorough enquiry be conducted into the circumstances leading to the death of the woman convict. “The women prisoners are meted out inhuman treatment by the officials inside the Byculla jail. I have proof to substantiate my charge”.
NCP’s group leader Jayant Patil alleged that Manjula died after she was thrashed badly and subjected to sexual assault by the jail officials. “The circumstances that led to the woman inmate’s death have made to hang our heads in shame. If the prison authorities are to treat a jail warden (a post that Manjula had been designated as), then what kind of treatment that the ordinary inmates can expect from the jailorsIJ, Patil asked.
It may be recalled that Manjula, a resident of Bhandup in north-east Mumbai who had earlier been serving life sentence in Pune’s Yerwada for the murder of her sister-in-law and was recently shifted to Byculla jail, had succumbed injuries that she had suffered during her thrashing by jail officials on June 23.
A post-mortem conducted on Mahjula’s body at the State-run JJ Hospital revealed that she had died of “multiple contusions and pulmonary edema”.
Six women jail staffers --- Manisha Pokharkar, jailor, Bindu Naikode, Waseema Shaikh, Sheetal Shegaokar, Surekha Gudve and Aarti Shingane, all guards on Saturday night for murder – were booked by the Nagpada police for allegedly beating Manjula to death. Pending a full-fledged inquiry, all the six jail staffers were suspended for alleged dereliction of duty.
Following Manjula’s death, 290-odd women prisoners – including the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case Indrani Mukherjea – had on June 24 climbed up the terrace of the two-storey jail building and staged a protest against the inmate’s alleged murder. The protesters set books, newspapers and clothes on fire and shouted slogans against the prison officials. They also reportedly clashed with the jail staffers who tried to quell the rioters.
The Nagpada police booked 291 prison inmates, including Indrani, for allegedly indulging in a riot and assaulting the jail staff on Sunday.
Responding to queries by members, Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said that the question of the state government suppressing the death of Manjula did not arise and that those responsible for her alleged murder would be punished.
Among other things, the minister said that Indrani, who had earlier offered to the Nagpada police that she would depose as a witness in the case, would be questioned in connection with the death of Manjuila.