Byculla jail inmate death: Court permits Indrani Mukerjea to lodge complaint as she alleges sexual assault threat

"I was hit on the hand and legs... I can barely walk," Indrani alleged and added that the superintendent told her 'tu witness banne ja rahi hai.... tereko bhi dekh lenge'. The superintendent had ordered a laticharge after turning the lights off in the jail.

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Indrani Mukerjea Medical check up at J J Hospital on Wednesday. Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar

Sheena Bora murder case accused Indrani Mukerjea was on Wednesday allowed to lodge her complaint against Byculla Prison officials by a special CBI court in a case related to the death of her jail inmate. She has accused the jail officials of beating her up and threatening with sexual assault for protesting over the death of a woman convict in the jail. Indrani was booked for rioting in the women’s prison along with other inmates and was produced in the court after she moved an application on Tuesday saying that she was roughed up by jail officials when inmates protested the death of a 45-year-old woman prisoner Manju Govind Shette. She said that when she inquired about Shette’s health earlier in the day, she was told that she was fine but later she learnt that she passed away.

Special CBI judge J C Jagdale on Wednesday said that proper medical examination of Indrani has to be done and later she can be taken to the police station (Nagpada) to file her complaint.

“I was hit on the hand and legs… I can barely walk,” Indrani alleged and added that the superintendent told her ‘tu witness banne ja rahi hai…. tereko bhi dekh lenge’. She also alleged that the superintendent had ordered a laticharge after turning the lights off in the jail. Indrani also said that the superintendent threatened her, saying “We will do the same thing that we did to Shette”.

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Read | Byculla jail inmate death: Indrani Mukerjea produced before CBI court, ordered to undergo medical examination

In the appliaction to the court, Indrani’s lawyer Gunjan Mangla on Tuesday calimed, “She (Indrani) showed me her bruise marks and injuries which were very prominent on her hands, legs and head.” Indrani also told her lawyer that she was verbally abused by jail officials and was threatened of sexual assault for protesting by the superintendent. “She informed me that several inmates want to give their statements against the jail officials who were involved in the incident,” he added.

According to police, after the death of Shette on Friday, the furious inmates protested her unnatural death. They made bonfire of newspapers and documents inside the jail to show their anger. Later, nearly 200 inmates of the Byculla jail, including Indrani were booked by the Nagpada police for rioting, assault on a public servant. An official accused Indrani of “instigating” the inmates by asking them to boycott food and to “use their children as shields” when prison staffers tried to stop them from agitating and gathering together.

Indrani told her lawyer that she was verbally abused by jail officials and was threatened of sexual assault for protesting by the superintendent. Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar

Shette was allegedly raped and a stick was inserted into her private parts, said police. She died at the government-run J J Hospital on Friday night. The Nagpada has filed police an offence of murder against the jail staff. A case under IPC Section 302 (punishment for murder) have been registered against six jail staffers.

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