Mumbai: The Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Tuesday submitted its charge sheet in the death of Manjula Shette, an inmate at the Byculla women’s prison, that names six prison guards and charges them with murder and other offences under relevant sections of the IPC.
Shette, a murder convict, was lodged in the women’s prison after being transferred from Yerwada Central Jail in Pune. She had been arrested by the Mumbai Police for killing her sister-in-law in 2004 and subsequently convicted for the crime. On June 25 this year, she was allegedly beaten to death by six jail guards at Byculla women’s prison. Her death sparked a prison riot which lasted several hours before being quelled. The Crime Branch’s Unit III arrested prison guards Manisha Pokharkar, Wasima Sheikh, Sheetal Shegokar, Bindu Naikode, Surekha Gulwe and Aarti Shingne for her murder.
Officers said the 990-page charge sheet was submitted to the Esplanade Court. A Crime Branch officer said, “We have included statements of 182 witnesses in the charge sheet, including undertrial Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora. The witnesses also include 97 Prisons Department officers. The six accused have been charged with murder, destruction of evidence, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy under the IPC.”
The police have also included the statement of Vaishali Mudale, an accused in a corruption case, in the charge sheet. During a hearing on July 8 in connection with her case, Ms. Mudale told the court that she had heard Shette’s cries for help, and later saw her being dragged to the barracks by the six accused.
No sexual assault: cops
The police have dropped the sexual assault charge against the accused, as investigations, including the post mortem examination, have failed to confirm that Shette was sexually assaulted. Some eyewitnesses had alleged in their statements that one of the accused had sexually assaulted Shette with her baton. However, no such injury was detected during autopsy, and no corroborative evidence was found, officers said. “We will be submitting CCTV camera footage from the prison later. It has been mentioned in the charge sheet,” the officer said. The charge sheet will be registered by the court after it is examined by the judicial clerk as per procedure.
