Byculla Jail violence: Indrani Mukerjea was assaulted by prison officials, medical report confirms

In a new twist in the Byculla Jail violence case, a medical report confirmed that Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, was assaulted by the jail officials during prison violence, NDTV reported.

This is a news alert. More details to follow. #JustIn #NDTVNews pic.twitter.com/7IfQjMqHur

— NDTV (@ndtv) June 29, 2017

The report added that the jail officials had attacked Indrani with a blunt object, which led to injuries on her hand and other parts of the body. [caption id=“attachment_3756657” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Indrani Mukerjea who is housed in the Byculla jail for the murder of Sheena Bora. PTI[/caption] On 26 June, Indrani complained of body pain and was taken to hospital. “There was nothing abnormal in her medical reports and she was sent back after being given some tablets,” a prison official had said. Indrani’s lawyer later filed an application in a CBI court in Mumbai alleging that Indrani was verbally abused by jail officials and the superintendent and was threatened of sexual assault for protesting against the death in jail. Special CBI judge J C Jagdale on Wednesday said that Indrani be first taken for a medical examination and later to a police station to file her complaint. “Indrani has received some blunt injuries and other (injuries) as well. Her claims of being beaten up appear to be true as per our check-up,” the medical officer of J J Hospital, where Indrani’s medical examination was conducted, told PTI on Thursday on condition of anonymity. “It (Indrani’s medical report) will be submitted in court, as the medical check-up was ordered by the court,” the officer said. Manju Shetye, a woman inmate, was allegedly beaten up on 23 June by jail staff for failing to account for two eggs and five ‘paav’ (bread loaves) meant for distribution to inmates as she was assisting jail staff as a warden. After Manju’s death, Indrani, Divya and other inmates, including Shahnaz Maniyar, Vaishali Mudle, Hasina Shaikh, Mariam Shaikh and around 200 others, began a protest on 24 June for their demands, which included making available a lawyer and allowing media access inside the jail, police said. During the protest, police said, some of the enraged inmates went up to the prison’s roof, while others made a bonfire of newspapers and documents inside the premises to express their anger. Later, the Nagpada police booked nearly 200 inmates of the Byculla jail, including Indrani, for rioting, unlawful assembly, assault on a public servant and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Indrani also said that she had witnessed the woman prisoner being allegedly assaulted. She said when she first enquired about Shetye’s health (prior to her death), she was told that the convict was fine. However, later Indrani learnt that Shetye passed away. Indrani on Wednesday told the CBI court that after a case was registered into Shetye’s death, she told the jail officials that she is ready to be a witness in the case. Recalling the events on the day of the protest, she alleged that the superintendent had ordered a lathicharge after turning the lights off in the jail. She charged that even male officials in the jail resorted to cane charge on the inmates. “I was hit on the hand and legs… I can barely walk,” she alleged and added that the superintendent told her ’tu witness banne ja rahi hai….tereko bhi dekh lenge’. She said the superintendent threatened her, saying “We will do the same thing that we did to Shetye”. Indrani, who was booked along with around 200 other inmates for rioting in the prison, was on Wednesday produced in the court. With inputs from PTI