Rights body to seek Fadnavis’ help for ‘kid human shields’
The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights will be submitting a report next week to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis which details the findings and observations by the commission on the incident wherein children inmates were allegedly used as human shields during the protests in Byculla women’s jail on June 24.
The inmates of the prison had gone to the terrace of the jail to protest, following the murder of former jail convict Manjula Shetye.
Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Pravin Ghuge, chairman of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said, “We shall be directly submitting the report to the chief minister next week. The report will have all the fact findings and observations regarding the matter of children of the inmates being used as human shields during the protest at the Byculla jail.”
Ghuge, however, denied a news report, which stated that the jail officials had used the children of the inmates as human shields as reported by former media baron Indrani Mukerjea, an undertrial at Byculla jail. “I am not aware of this report and I haven’t said the jail officials used children as human shields.”
Earlier, Indrani had told the police that the prison officials had used the children of inmates at the Byculla jail as human shields and it wasn’t her. Mukherjea had stated that the jail officials had threatened jail inmates that they would harm the kids if they did not stop the protest.
According to Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of the State Women’s Rights Commission, said, “Three meetings have been conducted so far by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the commission to discuss problems of the inmates of Byculla jail, food provisions, safety and security of the inmates of the jail and the initiatives that can be implemented for the conditions of jails across Maharashtra. We are expecting that the SIT will submit a report soon to the Commission which will be submitted to the State government. The report will also include recommendations from the Commission.”
Rahatkar added, “On Monday, a meeting was also conducted with Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, Additional Director General of Prisons along with the SIT panel comprising retired Justice Anand Nirgude, retired Indian Police Service officer Pravin Dixit and a member of a non-profit organisation Anjali Deshpande.”