Recently in Mumbai’s Byculla prison for women, a convict Manjula Shetye, was found dead . It was alleged by the other inmates that she was mercilessly beaten by prison staff. The other inmates staged a protest inside the prison and all of them assembled on the terrace raising slogan against the prison staff. Among the inmates, there was one celebrity inmate named Indrani Mukherjee, the main accused in Sheena Bora’s murder case. All these inmates were threatened by the same prison staff, who had beaten Manjula, that unless they stop the agitation they will also be dealt like Manjula. Indrani Mukherjee gave her statement in the court also, that she was threatened by staff. The matter reached at precipitation level, then Commissioner of Police handed the case to Crime Branch to probe.
The following are the few facts of this case
1. Manjula Shetye’s post mortem showed multiple injuries from blunt weapon which killed her.
2. Six prison officials were suspended and booked for murder after 2 days of incident. They were Jailer Manisha Pokharkar,Guards Bindu Naikode, Waseema Shaikh, Sheetal Shegaokar, Surekha Gudve and Aarti Shingane.
3.After suspension, all the accused were asked to sign the register daily kept at Arthur Road jail. But after Tuesday, 27th June 2017, they have stopped signing the register and there whereabouts are not known.
4. Out of six, three suspended officials were residing in quarters inside the jail premises, they are Manisha Pokharkar, Wassema Shaikh and Sheetal Shegaokar. The three others stay else where in the city.
5. It is really surprising that all the six suspended officials are untraceable or their colleagues in the crime branch are helping them. There is one more possibility that all of them might be trying to apply for anticipatory bail and will be in touch with their lawyers.
6. I fail to understand that when they were booked for murder, why they were not in custody?
7. Yesterday the team of Maharashtra Women’s cell visited the Byculla prison, they later stated that Special Investigation Team(SIT) will be formed to find out the sequence of events which led to Manjula’s murder.
8. What is really astonishing is that no human right activists have come forward and condemned Manjula’s murder by prison staff. I think human right activist only speak if Kashmiri Jihadis are attacked/killed by armed forces, when Islamic terrorist are killed in self defence by security forces or some Muslim criminals are arrested by Police. They are behaving , as if prison inmates have no human rights.
9. It is highly surprising that FIR has been lodged against Indrani Mukherjee and other 200 inmates of Byculla prison, who protested inside the prison the prison against the killing of Manjula and there is news that this case will also be transferred to Crime branch.
10. The Mumbai High Court on Thursday admonished Maharashtra Govt, on their failure to implement their order issued 4 months back, which stated that steps should be taken to identify the land in Mumbai and Pune to built more prisons, as Arthur Road Prison & Byculla Prison in Mumbai, and Yervada Prison in Pune can not accommodate more inmates.
In the end I think, criminal inmates in prisons in India have neither human rights nor any sympathy from prison staff, unless you have some political backing.
What you say my friends.
Awaiting for your feed backs and comments.
Bobby
Thank you Anil. I have been part of a jail ministry for several years and know the pathetic conditions and inhuman treatment meted out to the inmates. The women normally have it worse than men because they rarely protest.