This a very sensitive case. Hence, we have decided to set up an SIT to investigate the entire incident leading to death of an inmate and riots. The SIT will submit its report at the earliest," said Dr Vijaya Rahatkar
The Maharashtra State Commission for Women on Thursday said it was setting up a three-member special investigation team (SIT), headed by a retired High Court judge, to probe the death of inmate Manjula Shetye in Byculla prison on June 23 and the subsequent riots by other inmates the next day. A team of officials from the Commission visited the prison on Thursday evening and met with the prisoners.
According to the FIR registered with the Nagpada police station on June 25, six prison employees thrashed Shetye and sexually assaulted her, inserting a wooden baton into her private parts. This caused severe bleeding and resulting in her death, the FIR said. Filed on a complaint by undertrial Mariam Shaikh, the FIR alleges that Shetye was assaulted after she confronted prison staff about the inadequate quantity of eggs and bread being supplied in the barrack. The executive magistrate's report submitted on Thursday confirmed multiple injuries on Shetye's body but said no injury marks were found on her private parts.
"This a very sensitive case. Hence, we have decided to set up an SIT to investigate the entire incident leading to death of an inmate and riots. The SIT will submit its report at the earliest," said Dr Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of the panel.
The announcement came soon after the prisons department submitted the executive magistrate's report to the Commission, which stated, "Multiple injuries on body; no fresh or old injury marks on private parts. Detailed post-mortem report is awaited."
Rahatkar and her team also visited the prison in the evening to review the situation.
The panel has also asked the prisons department to submit a detailed status report of all women prisons in the state "within 15 days". This is to understand the condition of inmates and undertrials in Maharashra and later formulate a comprehensive policy to safeguard them, Rahatkar said.
"We would recommend a slew of measures for betterment of women undertrials and convicts once we receive the status report on all women prisons," Rahatkar said. "We are looking into the matter and adequate procedure would be conducted to probe the incident," she added.
Responding to queries by media persons after a function at Mantralaya on Thursday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "The truth about the Byculla incident will come out soon." He refused to comment further.
At 4:30 pm on Thursday, Rahatkar and four members of the panel entered the Byculla ladies barrack and met the prison inmates, including Indrani Mukerjea, who is accused of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora. Rahatkar and the other team members left the prison after spending three hours inside the jail. "I have met women prisoners inside the jail and they have complained about various irregularities.", Rahatkar said, after the visit.
Sources inside the prison revealed that the inmates demanded immediate arrests of the six prison staff who have been suspended for dereliction of duty.
The women's commission had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident on Tuesday and had summoned the Additional Director General (Prisons) Dr BK Upadhyay, and called for the details of the case.
While Upadhyay skipped the very first hearing, he sent his junior Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Swati Sathe to defend the department, which has been receiving flak from all quarters since the case came to light.
Besides submitting the executive magistrate's report, Sathe told the commission that the prisons department had taken action (suspension) against six accused jail staff, and that the inquiry against them was on.
Surprise audit
Women Commission to conduct surprise audit of all women's jails
Panel's board with address and contact numbers to be put up in women prisons so that inmates can contact them
Jail officials have been asked not to screen/junk inmates' letters to commission
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