20 women MPs visit Mumbai's Byculla jail after inmate's death

Manjula Shetye, an inmate was allegedly brutalised and murdered by guards in the jail where Indrani Mukherjea is also lodged

An all-women parliamentary panel visited the Byculla jail on Thursday to take stock of facilities and security arrangments for inmates. 20 parliamentarians from across the country visited the jail after an inmate was allegedly murdered for complaining over food.

20 women members of parliament who are part of the Parliamentary Empowerment of Women committee interacted with inmates at the Byculla Jail. The panel intends to collect information about security, facilities, the treatment meted out to women prisoners and raise the same in the Parliament.

The group is headed by Bijoya Chakravarty, an MP from Assam, and also includes Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party, Raksha Khadse of the BJP, NCP Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan, and M K Kanimozhi of the DMK among others.

The women parliamentarians hope that their visit will help the inmates voice their concerns and jail authorities in undertaking corrective measures. The parliamentarians at Byculla jail premises in a bus with escort on Thursday morning. The visit comes weeks after Manjula Shetye, an inmate was brutalised and murdered allegedly by jail guards for questioning the quality and quantity of food being served in the prison.

The panel will suggest policy changes if required and also provide support to genuine concerns of women prisoners. Byculla jail authorities went on a cleaning drive on Wednesday after the women panel's visit was confirmed. Inmates of Byculla jail indulged in arson and vandalism after jail staff assaulted Shetye on June 23 killing her. Six people, including jailor Manisha Pokharkar, have been arrested for assaulting Shetye by the Mumbai Crime Branch police.

OneIndia News