Bilkis Bano case: Give me "my rights to live without fear and in peace," Bano after rape convict's release

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• Aug 18, 2022 | Poonam Nath

Bilkis Bano begged the Gujarat government to "correct this damage" and restore her "right to live without fear and in peace."

Digital Desk: The 11 prisoners who gang-raped Bilkis Bano and killed her children during the Godhra riots in 2002 were freed as part of the Gujarat government's remission policy.

Bilkis Bano said, "The anguish of the past 20 years washed over me again." She pleaded with the state administration to "correct this harm" and restore her "right to live without fear and in peace."

"On August 15, two days ago, the trauma from the previous 20 years flooded over me once more. In the statement, Bilkis Bano added, "I was shocked to see that the 11 guilty men who destroyed my family, my life, and stole my 3-year-old daughter were now free."

"Today, all I can say is, how can justice for any woman end like this?" I had faith in our country's highest courts. I trusted the system, and I was gradually learning to live with my trauma. The liberation of these prisoners has shattered my peace and undermined my trust in justice. "My grief and trembling faith are not for myself alone, but for every woman fighting for justice in the courts," Bano continued.

She said that no one inquired about her safety or well-being before making such a significant and unreasonable choice. "I implore the Gujarat government to repair the damage." Give me back my right to live fearlessly and in peace. "Please keep my family and me safe," Bano begged.

On August 15, all 11 convicts sentenced to life in prison in the 2002 post-Godhra Bilkis Bano gang rape case walked out of the Godhra sub-jail.

Let's take a U-Turn to learn about the Bilkis Bano Case:

Bilkis was 20 years old and several months pregnant when she was brutalized by men she had allegedly known for years. She addressed one of them as "Chacha" (uncle) and the others as "brothers." She was gang-raped and nearly killed. She saw the assassination of members of her family. On March 3, 2002, her three-year-old daughter was also slain by the mob.

Bilkis regained consciousness and borrowed clothes from a tribal lady before going to the Limkheda police station in Dahod district to file a complaint. The chief constable there withheld facts and drafted a shortened version of the complaint.

After receiving threats to her life, the Supreme Court decided to relocate the trial from Gujarat to Mumbai in 2004.

A special CBI court in Mumbai found 11 of the 20 defendants guilty in January 2008 of conspiring to rape a pregnant lady, murder, unlawful assembly, and other offenses under various Indian Penal Code provisions. The chief constable was found guilty of "creating false records" in order to protect the defendant. Due to a lack of evidence, seven of the 20 defendants were found not guilty. During the trial, one person passed away.