Protesters at Freedom Park demand justice for Bilkis Bano

More than 1,000 people from all walks of life, including women’s organisations, workers’ unions, student unions, lawyers and artists gathered at the Freedom Park in the city on Saturday demanding justice for gang rape victim Bilkis Bano. They condemned the remission of sentence demanding that the same be invalidated and the culprits be immediately sent back to prison to continue their full life term.

Similar protests simultaneously took place across 15 districts across the state.

The 11 convicts were serving a life sentence for the brutal and barbaric gang rape of Bilkis Bano and several other women of her family along with the murder of her family members, including her three-year-old daughter during the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002.

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Speaking during the protest, K S Vimala of AIDWA asked why rapists were welcomed back as war heroes and why the government released them.

Nandini, an activist and member of Slum Mahila Sanghatane, said, “The remission again shows how we have not yet received social independence”. She stressed how real independence will be won only if communalism is fought and caste is annihilated.

Dr K Mohanraj, state convenor, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, attacked the government for playing the religion and caste cards when there were serious problems, like unemployment facing the country.

“The Dalit community stands strongly with Bilkis”, he said.