Indrani Mukerjea files police complaint against Byculla jail officials

Indrani, booked for rioting in the women's prison here along with other inmates, two days back alleged that she was beaten up by jail officials and threatened of sexual assault after the death of a convict sparked protest in the prison.

A special CBI court yesterday allowed the 44-year-old former media executive to lodge her complaint against the prison officials.

Following the court's directions, Indrani went to Nagpada police station at around 12.30 am and submitted a written application, a senior police officer said.

In her application, Indrani alleged that she was also hurt when the Byculla prison officials cane-charged inmates to disperse them, the officer said.

Indrani was among nearly 200 inmates of the Byculla Jail booked by Nagpada police for rioting and other offences after they staged a protest over the death of a convict, Manju Govind Shette (45).

Shette died at the government-run J J Hospital on June 23 after allegedly being beaten up by a woman official of the jail.

The next day, enraged women inmates rose in protest, some of them went up to the prison's roof, while others made a bonfire of newspapers and documents inside the premises to express their anger, a police official said.

The inmates alleged that Shette was mercilessly beaten up by the woman prison official which led to her death.

A prison department official said on Monday that Indrani "instigated" the inmates by asking them to shun food and "use their children as shields" when prison staffers tried to stop them from agitating and gathering without permission.