A Central Bureau of Investigation court on Wednesday allowed Indrani Mukerjea, who is in prison for murdering her daughter Sheena Bora, to file a First Information Report against Byculla jail officials after she claimed they hit her, reported The Times of India. The CBI court also ordered a medical examination of Mukerjea.
Mukerjea had alleged on Wednesday that she was beaten up in jail and threatened with sexual assault for protesting against the “cold-blooded murder in custody” of fellow jail inmate Manjula Shetye. In her testimony, Mukerjea told the CBI court, “On Friday, I saw jail officials dragging Manjula Shetye by her hair with a sari wrapped around her neck. The officials inserted a stick inside her private parts. The male officers then took her to the hospital. The next day, I learned that Shetye had died.” Mukerjea said that she and other convicts saw Shetye being assaulted through a hole in the door of the room to which she was taken.
Indrani claimed that the jail superintendent had hit her and used abusive language against her when she tried to enquire about what happened. “The official said, tu witness banne ja rahi hain mere khilaf? Jo uske saath hua woh tere sath bhi hoga . [Are you going to testify against me? You will meet the same fate as hers],” Indrani told the court.
Five constables and a jailer in Byculla prison have been booked for allegedly sexually assaulting and killing Manjula Shetye. Shetye’s death on June 23 had triggered a protest, and Mukerjea was among the 200 women inmates booked for inciting a prison riot.
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