Mumbai: Why Byculla Jail inmate Manjula Shetye was killed

Manjula Shetye was killed in Byculla jail on June 23Weeks before June 23 Byculla womens prison officer Manisha Pokharkar ended her altercation with inmate Manjula Shetye with an ominous warning One day I will teach you a lesson The lesson was to address Shetyes growing influence which she was allegedly misusing to grant favours to other inmates Crime Branch officials have revealed On June 23 when Shetye came to her office after inmates complained about shortage of food the officer finally saw her chanceThe previous altercation was triggered after Pokharkar warned Shetye to stop misusing her growing influence among inmates to grant them undue favours Shetye who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her sisterinlaw had been shifted to Byculla prison this year and made warden there following her stint at the Yerawada central prison in PuneAlso read Byculla jail inmate murder Guard Bindu Naikodi 5 others arrestedThe accused were produced in court on Sunday PicBipin KokateGaining followersThe 40yearold started gaining followers in jail primarily because of her yoga and fitness lessons for the other inmates Manjula never fell ill in the entire term of her sentence she never even complained of a headache said a senior crime branch officer attributing it to Shetyes medical records Her skills had earned her many followersAlso read Byculla Jail inmate murder No injuries to private parts claims inquest panchnamaSoon Manjula started using this newfound fame for her personal benefits She used to get massages from inmates whod also oil her hair Whoever gave her such services would get kickbacks said another senior officerManjula would also serve a larger quantity of food to her favourite inmatesFavours for the fewAmong the kickbacks was Shetye granting more time to inmates to meet their relatives The usual time given to meet relatives is 15 to 20 minutes but Manjula would grant 30 to 40 minutes to those inmates who were her followers Extra food was another perk they earned for their loyalty The kickbacks included more food on a daily basis and on special occasions On Friday when bread and eggs were being distributed among inmates Manjula gave extra to her followers This led to a shortage after which some inmates complained to Pokharkar said an officerAlso read South Mumbai jail inmate murder Is state shielding alleged killersHowever even before June 23 Pokharkar had gotten wind of Shetyes actions These things had reached the ears of Manisha Pokharkar During daily rounds Pokharkar had warned Manjula to stop these practices said another officer adding This warning had triggered an altercation between two end of which Pokharkar had warned Manjula Me tula ek divas dhada shikven One day I will teach you a lessonThen on June 23 Shetye had been called to Pokharkars office after the inmates complaints emerged What followed was a series of brutal beatings by the officer and five others ndash Waseema Sheikh Sheetal Shegaonkar Surekha Gudve Arti Shingne ndash which ultimately led to Shetyes deathAlso read Indrani Mukerjea They said theyll do to me what they did to ManjulaManjula would also serve a larger quantity of food to her favourite inmatesAccused in courtThe jail officials were arrested on July 1 for the murder They were produced in the holiday court on Sunday The court remanded the accused in police custody for five days Cops also told court they need to recover the lathis which were allegedly used for beating Shetye Naikode who was the first to be arrested by the crime branch has confessed to attacking Shetye She also revealed it was Manisha who told them to beat her said an officerTo return her favours the other inmates would give her massages Whoever provided her with these services would also get kickbacks IllustrationUday MohiteRioting case transferredAfter transferring the case of Shetyes murder to crime branch three the top brass have also decided to transfer the case regarding the rioting that followed her death to them as well Close to 300 inmates had created a ruckus in Byculla jail on the morning of June 24 after they came to know about Shetyes death They had burned clothes and books and thrown plates glasses water bottles on jail staff and policemen who were sent to control them They also vandalized jail property including CCTVs in the jail premisesAlso read Mumbai Slain Byculla Jail inmate was repeatedly denied prison transferA separate FIR was filed in Nagpada police station in which inmate Indrani Mukerjea accused of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora has been named as a prime accused