Mumbai: The records of the daily movements of Sheena Bora murder accused Indrani Mukerjea, which were being maintained by the prisons department at the behest of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), were burned by rioters following the murder of murder convict Manjula Shette at the Byculla women’s prison last week, sources said on Monday.
Shette, a warder, was allegedly killed by six guards after she was unable to account for two eggs and five pieces of bread after breakfast on June 23. Her death sparked off a riot, with the 200-odd inmates allegedly damaging CCTV cameras, burning papers and furniture, and raising slogans from the prison roof before they could be subdued the next afternoon.
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The Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Saturday arrested the six prison guards identified as Bindu Naikode, Manisha Pokharkar, Wazima Sheikh, Sheetal Shegavkar, Surekha Gulwe, and Aarti Shingne. They have been remanded in police custody till July 7.
Their lawyer Pankaj Bafna had said, “My clients have told me that the inmates, during the riots, set fire to all the logs of Ms. Mukerjea’s daily movements. These records were being maintained by the guards because the CBI had asked for them to be maintained, and now they have all been destroyed. There needs to be an inquiry as to whether this was done purposely.”
When contacted, Ms. Mukerjea’s lawyer Gunjan Mangla said she does not have any information about this.
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CBI officials and Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) B.K. Upadhyay could not be reached for comment.
Two applications
The six guards had also filed two applications in court, one asking that home-made food be delivered to them, and the other seeking permission to meet their children. Apart from Sagvekar, all the others have children. “The application for home-made food was rejected by court on Monday, and a decision on the second application is expected on June 7, when the custody of my clients expires,” said Mr. Bafna.
Ms. Mukerjea has also filed an application with the Nagpada police alleging that she was beaten and threatened with sexual abuse by the six guards. An FIR is yet to be filed, and a senior officer said a decision on it will be taken in the next two days.