CCTV shows inmate dragged by hair

Mumbai: The CCTV footage procured from the Byculla women’s prison by the Mumbai crime branch shows inmate Manju Shetye being dragged by her hair, with her saree undone, as she was escorted from the jailer’s office to the barrack. This is detailed in the chargesheet filed in the case by the police. The footage is key evidence in the probe into the alleged murder of Shetye on June 23 by six jail officials. The crime branch officers showed the footage to witnesses, who corroborated the same.

While the police is still unable to retrieve the wooden stick with which Shetye was allegedly beaten up on June 23, the footage clearly show that one of the security guards, identified as Sheetal Shegokar, was seen taking the wooden stick upstairs along with her. One of the witnesses claimed CCTV  captured the six accused marching towards barrack number 5 in unison with the security guards.

The footage also shows that after beating her for the first time, Pokharkar called Shetye to her office, where the victim was found struggling to climb down the stairs. It also clearly shows that Shetye sat down on the steps and cried, as she could not walk any further due to injuries.

A protest erupted in Byculla woman prison on June 24 when Shetye, warden of jail’s barrack number five, was beaten to death by the police personnel in jail. Jail authorities initially recorded an accidental death report, but when the crime branch took over the matter, they arrested six women officials, including Manisha Pokharkar (jailor), Wasima Shaikh, Shital Shegokar, Surekha Gulve, Aarti Shingne and Bindu Naikade. The crime branch recently filed a detailed chargesheet of 990 pages in the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court against the six accused. There are statements of key eyewitnesses and jail inmates who saw the incident live when the accused were beating up Shetye.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses also said that the judicial magistrate, who visited the jail on the day of the incident, did not visit the barrack of Shetye.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the magistrate arrived half an hour after Shetye was brutally beaten up but did not pay a visit to her barrack and left without enquiring about the well being of other inmates.