During 2002 Gujarat riots Bilkis Bano, the survivor of gang rape cases has commented on the release of the 11 rapists and said “shaken” her faith in justice. The release of 11 culprits left her “numb” and “bereft of words”, she said.
“How can justice for any woman end like this? I trusted the highest courts in our land. I trusted the system, and I was learning slowly to live with my trauma… My sorrow and my wavering faith is not for myself alone but for every woman who is struggling for justice in courts,” said Bilkis Bano. Bilkis Bano fight for justice went for 18 long years.
“No one enquired about my safety and well-being, before taking such a big and unjust decision,” she said.
There was also a request for the Gujarat government. “Give me back my right to live without fear and in peace. Please ensure that my family and I are kept safe,” the statement read.
Shobha Gupta Bilkis Bano’s lawyer says safety has been a big concern for the woman since the rapists were released. Bilkis Bano’s spent years in hiding when the men were jailed. She also kept shifting home.
The family who were murdered were declared “missing”. The woman was five months’ pregnant when she was gang-raped.
On January 21, 2008 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai on charges of gang rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family sentenced life imprisonment. But their conviction was then upheld by the Bombay High Court.
While eleven convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape case, released from jail under the Gujarat government’s remission policy, were greeted with garlands at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad office.
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