Twenty women MPs on Thursday visited Byculla jail here, days after a female convict died of alleged torture by the jail staff. The MPs, part of the Parliamentary Empowerment of Women committee, interacted with the inmates for about an hour
20 woman parliamentarians from across the country visited the Byculla Jail in Mumbai on Thursday as part of their study tour and to enquire about the death of inmate Manjula Shete. Pic/ PTI
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Twenty women MPs on Thursday visited Byculla jail here, days after a female convict died of alleged torture by the jail staff. The MPs, part of the Parliamentary Empowerment of Women committee, interacted with the inmates for about an hour.
"The 20-member delegation of women MPs visited the jail," ADG Prisons B K Upadhyay told PTI. He, however, declined to divulge details of the visit. NCP MP Vandana Chavan, who was part of the delegation, said the visit would help the women MPs get a better understanding of problems faced by the inmates. "We will suggest changes in policies of the jail administration, if needed," she told PTI.
The police had last month registered a case of murder against six staffers of the jail in connection with the death of Manju Govind Shete. The 45-year-old inmate died at state-run J J Hospital on June 23 after allegedly being beaten up by jail staff. Six people, including female jailer Manisha Pokharkar,
were arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch. The jail also launched an internal inquiry into the matter.
Shete's death had sparked a riot in the jail, leaving five police personnel and the prison staff injured. Nearly 200 inmates, including Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, had been booked for rioting and other offences.