Court directs Indrani Mukerjea to file plaint

Mumbai: The special CBI court on Wednesday directed Indrani Mukerjea to register a complaint at Nagpada police station against the Byculla women prison officers who assaulted her and then threatened her with dire consequences.

Special CBI Judge J.C. Jagdale has directed jail authorities and escorting authorities to take her to J.J. Hospital for treatment and then escort her to the police station to register a complaint.

Mukerjea, an accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, is currently lodged at the Byculla women’s prison and witnessed the brutal assault on inmate Manjula Sheteye.

On Tuesday, she had filed an application, wanting to appear before the court to put forth her grievances against the prison authority. On Wednesday, Mukerjea appeared before the court and narrated the incident.

“On Friday, I heard loud voices from other barracks. I saw some jail officers were taking her (Manjula Shetye) outside the barrack. She was being dragged by her hair with a sari wrapped around her neck,” said Mukerjea. “I heard that she was assaulted with a stick inserted in her private parts and was later admitted to J.J. Hospital.

“Next morning, I asked a lady guard about Shetye and she told me that (Shetye) was stable. But later we heard that she (Shetye) had died. That’s when I decided to be a witness and contacted my lawyers so that I could register an FIR,” said Mukerjea.  “I was threatened by jail officials saying “tu witness banne ja rahi hai hamare khilaf, tere ko hum dekh lenge” she stated.

“Jail superintendent then ordered that all lights be put off and jail officials starting hitting us with a lathi. We were beaten very inhumanly by some male officers,” said Mukerjea.

She also alleged that the superintendent threatened her saying “We will do the same thing that we did to Shetye.”

She showed the court the bruises on her hand and said her leg was swollen because of the injury. After lathicharge got over, the jail officers took me to J. J. Hospital where I was made to wait really long till a lady doctor checked me,” she said.

“I wanted to give a statement under section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code, (which is admissible as evidence) before the magistrate but jail officials didn’t allow me to do so.”  Mukerjea told mediapersons,  “I will fight till the last.”

On Saturday, Byculla jail inmates had protested against the jail authorities following which the Nagpada police booked nearly 200 inmates, including Indrani, for rioting, unlawful assembly, assault on a public servant and other relevant sections of
the Indian Penal Code.

Medical test

Mukherjee was brought to J.J. Hospital for a medical check-up because she complained to the court that she had been physically and verbally abused by the jail authorities during the protest by the women inmates. The court has asked her to undergo a medical examination.

Talking to The Asian Age, J.J hospital dean Dr.T.P.Lahane said, “Indrani does not have any fractures but sustained blunt injuries on her hands and legs. Now, it is for the police to find out how she was injured.”