All six Byculla women's prison officials who are accused of killing inmate Manjula Shetye today filed for bail at a sessions court in Mumbai.

The six - jailor Manisha Pokharkar and constables Bindu Naikade, Vasima Shaikh, Sheetal Shegokar, Surekha Gulve and Aarti Shingne - were arrested by Mumbai Police on July 1 in the death of Manjula Shetye.

Shetye, who was taken to the JJ Hospital after falling unconscious at the Byculla jail, was declared dead on June 23rd night. A Byculla prison inmate Mariam Shaikh filed a complaint against the Manisha Pokharkar and the five constables and accused them of brutally assaulting and killing Shetye.

Pokharkar and her subordinates claim innocence in their bail application, which was filed on their behalf by advocate Vaibhav Bagade. The application says that Shetye's death was a result of her essentially taking ill. The six claim that they have been falsely implicated in Shteye's death and that Sheena Bora murder accused Indrani Mukerjea hatched a conspiracy to 'mastermind the false case' to "gain advantage" and settle a "personal grudge against public servants".

THE GRAND CONSPIRACY: JAIL STAFF's VERSION OF SHETYE's DEATH In their bail applications, the Byculla prison staff claim that the prisoners, led by Indrani Mukerjea, "masterminded the false case" against them "by taking undue advantage of the death of prisoner in calculated manner against the jail officials." According to the accused, at 10 am, two inmates, Hasiba Azhar Ali Shaikh and Mala Saroj Kamthi orally complained to jailor Manisha Pokharkar that they found a few eggs and bread loafs lying hidden in a plastic bag in their barracks. Following this, Pokharkar checked the inmates' daily food register of the inmates and found a few discrepancies in the ration. Manjula Shetye was one of the inmates who was given the charge of warden and who was responsible for the distribution of ration. So, Pokharkar summoned Shetye to her chambers at around 11 am to question about the discrepancy. Hasiba Azhar Ali Shaikh and Mala Saroj Kamthi were present during the questioning, which lasted 45 minutes, following which, Manjula went back to her barrack. Pokharkar then went on a round of the barracks and returned to her chambers at 5pm. "During that period, all the inmates including the deceased... were happily enjoying the dance practice session for the Eid celebrations which went on till 5.30 pm," the accused say. The jailor and constables were relieved of their duties at 6pm and left the jail premises for their homes. At around 7pm, Pokharkar was informed that Manjula had fallen down. Pokharkar says she ran back to the barracks and says that Manjula felt giddy and fell down hard on the washroom floor. The jail staff also claims that Manjula had soiled her pants when she fell unconscious and that she had a history of medical issues, including diarrhoea. The next day, June 24, Pokharkar noticed Indrani Mukerjea standing near the main gate of the barracks gesturing at her fellow inmates at around 9 am. One of the special constables guarding Indrani (classified as a high-profile prisoner) asked her about the gesturing, but Indrani did not reply and silently walked passed her. At around 9: 15 am, during a senior jailor's customary daily round up, Indrani started screaming, "Chalo round aaya, round aaya". Suddenly, more than 200 inmates surrounded jail officials in the dining passage and started pushing and assaulting the jail officials. Inmates of the Byculla women's jail stand on the terrace during the June 24 riot (Photo: India Today TV) Click here to Enlarge Inmates of the Byculla women's jail stand on the terrace during the June 24 riot (Photo: India Today TV) Indrani along with many other inmates charged towards the jail staff with plates, bowls, clothes and other articles in their possession and started throwing them at the jailor and over the security wall. Indrani further instigated the inmates into hitting the jail authorities, including jailor Manisha Pokharkar. Some of the inmates entered the record room of the prison and destroyed documents, computers and tables by setting them on fire with the help of a matchbox. They also manhandled the jail authorities by tearing their uniforms and Indrani then surrounded the six officials accused of Shetye's death and started hitting them with chappals, pots and bottles. Then Indrani ran towards the main gate and instructed the other inmates to break open the main gate and run away from the prison. But one of the constables accused of Shetye's death managed to lock the main door and contacted the Nagpada police station for help. It was only after officers and constables from the Nagpada police station arrived that the situation was brought under control and the inmates were sent back to their barracks.

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