Was numb for two days, says Bilkis Bano on release of rapists

Two days after the Gujarat government released all 11 persons convicted to life for gang rape and murder of her family members during the 2002 post-Godhra riots, the victim Bilkis Bano on Wednesday said in a statement that the decision has shaken "her peace and faith in justice." She has said that for the past two days she was "bereft of words" and "numb".

In the written statement in English, Hindi as well as Gujarati, released on behalf of her by advocate Shobha Gupta, Bilkis Bano has been quoted as saying, "Two days ago, on August 15, 2022 the trauma of the past 20 years washed over me again. When I heard that the 11 convicted men who devastated my family and my life, and took from me my 3-year-old daughter, had walked free. I was bereft of words. I am still numb."

The statement further reads, "Today, I can say only this - 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. The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice. My sorrow and my wavering faith are not for myself alone but for every woman who is struggling for justice in courts."

Appealing to the state government to "undo this harm", she has been quoted as saying, "No one enquired about my safety and well-being, before taking such a big and unjust decision. I appeal to the Gujarat Government, please undo this harm. Give me back my right to live without fear and in peace. Please ensure that my family and I are kept safe."

On Monday, the 11 convicts-Radheshyam Shah, Jaswant Nai, Keshubhai Vadaniya, Bakabhai Vadaniya, Rajibhai Soni, Ramesh Chauhan, Shailesh Bhatt, Bipin Joshi, Govind Nai, Mitesh Bhatt and Pradip Modhiya walked out of Godhra sub-jail. Later, videos that have gone viral suggested that the convicts were welcomed with garlands and sweets outside the jail.

While BJP and emerging political party AAP have remained silent over the issue, Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Amee Yajnik and president of Gujarat Pradesh Mahila Morcha, Jenny Thummar attacked the Narendra Modi government for making "empty claims" on women's empowerment. Referring to prime minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day's speech, Yajnik told reporters on Wednesday that the manner in which 11 persons who raped a pregnant woman and killed her three years old child were released "women in this country wouldn't safe."

On March 3, 2002, days after the burning of the Sabarmati Express train at Godhra station Bilkis Bano, then 19 years old and five months pregnant, was running away from rioters with her family, when she was attacked by an armed mob at Randhikpur village, Dahod district. Fourteen members of her family were killed, including her daughter. Bilkis was also gangraped. Some of the convicts were local policemen.

On January 21, 2008, a special CBI court in Mumbai sentenced the eleven convicts to life in prison on the charges of gang rape and the murder of seven family members of Bilkis Bano. The Bombay High Court in 2017 confirmed the conviction. Her husband Yakub Rasul had told DH that his family was shocked by the state government's decision.