Byculla inmate death: Days before she was killed, Shetye said she feared for her life, says inmate

Mumbai: Five Byculla Jail guards, accused of killing a murder convict in the jail, being produced in Killa court in Mumbai on Sunday (PTI/File)

DAYS BEFORE Manjula Shetye was allegedly killed by six jail staffers of Byculla women’s jail, she had told an inmate that she feared for her life. This was revealed in the statement of fellow inmate, Salma Ansari.

After the incident on June 1, when Shetye was threatened in front of all inmates of being assaulted like another inmate, she had spoken to Ansari expressing fear, Ansari said in her statement. “After the incident, one day Manjula and I met near the water purifier near barrack numbers 1 and 2. Manjula began crying and told me that whenever she sees Manisha Pokharkar (Byculla jail officer) she gets very scared. ‘Mujhe aisa lagta hai ke ek din who mujhe maar dalegi’ (I feel that she will kill me one day), Manjula had said,” said Ansari in her statement.

Ansari and Shetye both were lodged in the Yerwada women’s jail in Pune. Both were transferred to Byculla jail on April 26, 2017. Ansari claims that jailor Manisha Pokharkar was of the opinion that since those who were lodged in prisons had committed an offence, they should be troubled as much as possible. Ansari has further claimed that Pokharkar expected all warders to do all her work, including her personal work, like taking care of her toddler son. She has said that since both Shetye and she did not agree to that, they were targeted.

Ansari said it was due to the constant harassment by Pokharkar and others that both she and Shetye sought transfer from Byculla to other prisons.
“We sought transfer to other prisons. I said in my application that since my husband was lodged in Nashik, I should be shifted to the Nashik women’s prison. Manjula sought transfer to Thane jail stating that her brother lived in Kalyan,” Ansari has said.

In her six-page statement, Ansari has added that after Shetye was assaulted on June 23, accused prison guard Vasima Sheikh had told her that they had beaten Shetye “like a dog”. “Vasima told me that Manjula will be gone for a month because they had beaten her like a dog. She told me that I am next and that I should be careful. Then, Sheetal (accused Sheetal Shegaokar) said I should also be beaten like Manjula,” Ansari has said.

Ansari added that they got to know the next day that Shetye had died and a case was registered against six jail staffers at Nagpada police station.
Ansari said after the incident, she did not want to continue staying at Byculla jail.  “On June 30, I submitted an application stating that I should be transferred to Nashik jail. I was shifted to the jail on July 1,” she has said.

‘Officer would leave her son with inmates’

Inmates have said jail officer Manisha Pokharkar would often leave her son in the care of prison inmates. An inmate, Mala Kamti, has told the police that Pokharkar’s one-and-a-half-year-old son would be left in her care whenever she was on duty as a jailor.

Other witnesses said even on the day of the incident of assault on June 23, Pokharkar had brought her son around 7.30-8 pm and left him with Kamti. Another staff member came around midnight to take the child back. ENS