Byculla jail inmate death: 20 women MPs visit prison to investigate allegations of torture

Mumbai: Twenty women MPs on Thursday visited Byculla jail in Mumbai, days after a female convict died of alleged torture by the jail staff. [caption id=“attachment_3766417” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Manjula Shetye. Puja Changoiwala[/caption] The MPs, part of the Parliamentary Empowerment of Women committee, interacted with the inmates for about an hour. “The 20-member delegation of women MPs visited the jail,” ADG Prisons BK Upadhyay told PTI. He, however, declined to divulge details of the visit. NCP MP Vandana Chavan, who was part of the delegation, said the visit would help the women MPs get a better understanding of problems faced by the inmates. “We will suggest changes in policies of the jail administration if needed,” she told PTI. The police had last month registered a case of murder against six staffers of the jail in connection with the death of Manju Govind Shete. The 45-year-old inmate died at state-run JJ Hospital on 23 June after allegedly being beaten up by jail staff. Six people, including female jailer Manisha Pokharkar, were arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch. The jail also launched an internal inquiry into the matter. Shete’s death had sparked a riot in the jail, leaving five police personnel and the prison staff injured. Nearly 200 inmates, including Indrani Mukerjea , the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, had been booked for rioting and other offences.