I was threatened with sexual assault during prison riot, Indrani tells court

mumbai — Indrani Mukerjea, one of the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case and ex-media baron, on Wednesday informed a Special CBI Court that she was beaten up and threatened with sexual assault during the violence in Byculla Jail last Saturday.

She was among the prisoners who were protesting the death of a woman life-term convict and jail warden, Manjula Shetye, the previous evening (Friday) after Shetye was brutally hammered inside the jail by some prison staffers.

Indrani gave her statement before Special CBI Judge J.C. Jagdale, who ordered that she should be taken for a medical examination and later to the Nagpada Police Station to lodge her formal complaint on the incident.

Through her lawyer, advocate Gunjan Mangla, she had moved an application before the Special Court on Tuesday following which Special Judge Jagdale directed the prison authorities to produce her in court on Wednesday.

In her detailed statement, Indrani informed the court how she was threatened, assaulted and badly injured, and how she saw Shetye being assaulted on Friday night.

After learning of Shetye’s death, Indrani said she had even offered to become a witness after a case was registered by the police.

However, on the day of the protest, she alleged that the jail superintendent ordered a blackout inside the jail and ordered caning of the female prisoners and even the male officials joined in the charge.

On her part, she said she was hit on the hand and legs, and the superintendent allegedly threatened her by saying: “You want to become a witness? We will see you.. We will do the same we did to Shetye.”

Earlier on Tuesday, advocate Mangla said Indrani showed her the bruises and injuries on her hands, legs and head which she sustained during the assault, the verbal abuse and threats of sexual assault for joining the prisoners’ protest against Shetye’s death. —