‘Heart was filled with empathy’: Indrani Mukerjea’s Instagram post on days in Mumbai’s Byculla Jail
Former INX Media CEO Indrani Mukerjea, who is currently on bail in a case related to the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora , shared an Instagram note on her thoughts about “sisterhood” and the “inner peace” she discovered during her time in Mumbai’s Byculla women’s prison. Indrani Mukerjea had been in jail since 2015 and was granted bail by the Supreme Court in May of last year.
In a note shared on her Instagram handle, Mukerjea discussed how women in captivity exhibit genuine joy and support for each other. She mentioned receiving unwavering support from her fellow inmates, something she didn’t find outside the prison walls. She highlighted that in her darkest moments, while facing misfortune, many people who were once known to her eagerly seized the opportunity to hold grudges and tear her apart.
“Last night I stayed awake and kept thinking about the corridors of the Byculla Undertrial Prison. My heart was filled with empathy for the innocent women in captivity. The suffocation of being in prison, incarcerated for something you haven’t done is hell of a kind I wish upon nobody. But I can’t deny, in my darkest days, I found inner peace too.
Locked away in the confines of prison, a remarkable truth dawned upon me – women in Byculla Undertrial Prison possessed an extraordinary absence of malice towards each other. Behind the cold iron bars, I observed something truly captivating. While people in the outside world often mask their true emotions, women in this secluded realm danced with genuine joy for one another. Their happiness radiated from their souls when good fortune befell a fellow inmate.
When misfortune had cast its dark shadow upon me a few years ago, several individuals who’d known me, eagerly seized the opportunity to settle old scores, nurse their grudges, and tear me apart.
However, it was within this unforeseen realm of captivity that I was truly enlightened. Here, the true embodiment of female camaraderie and sisterhood unfolded before my eyes. There was unwavering support. Amidst the desolation of prison life, I discovered a profound truth: there is an unbreakable bond that unites women; they have an unparalleled capacity to uplift and fortify one another.
In the shadows of those grey prison walls, I witnessed the authentic essence of sisterhood, where women stood resolute, shielding each other from the relentless storm. It was an experience that transcended the confines of those prison bars, etching its mark deep within my soul. Forever changed, I emerged from that chapter of my life with a newfound appreciation for the beauty and resilience of female companionship, a testament to the enduring power of sisterhood.”
Sheena Bora case
Indrani Mukerjea, along with her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamwar Rai, is alleged to have strangled Sheena Bora, daughter from her first partner, inside a car in Mumbai on April 24, 2012. The next day, they disposed of her body in a forest in the nearby Raigad district.
Mukerjea has consistently claimed that Sheena was not murdered but is alive, asserting that she had gone abroad for her education in 2012. However, she could never provide any evidence to support her claims. In January this year, she reiterated that Sheena Bora was alive and allegedly seen at the Guwahati airport by two lawyers.
During the cross-examination of Rahul Mukerjea, the son of her ex-husband Peter Mukerjea, Mukerjea maintained that Rahul had remained in contact with Sheena even after April 2012.