All 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case walk free

All the eleven convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in Bilkis Bano gang rape case and murder of her seven family members during 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat were allowed to walk freely on Monday under the state government’s remission policy. The eleven convicts had served more than 15 years in jail.

Communal riots broke out in Gujarat after 59 people returning from Ayodhya had been charred to death in a fire that engulfed a train coach at Godhra. Their bodies were paraded in Ahmedabad, triggering clashes between the two communities. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims died in the pogrom.

Visuals shared on social media platforms showed the convicts being greeted with sweets by their relatives after they were released. Relatives also touched their feet for blessings, according to a Scroll report.

Civil society members, Congress react 

Congress leader Manish Tewari took up the case of Sikh prisoners languishing in jails and called for uniformity in the definition of remission policy. “There must be uniformity across the country about the definition of life imprisonment & remissions permissible. “While some convicts walk free after 15 years others languish in jail for 30 years or more? Classical case- Sikh Prisoners in jail for 03 decades,” he said in a tweet. Reacting to the news, Congress spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohamed took to Twitter to say, “The BJP government is using state machinery not to protect women, but to free rapists. What message is this sending? Is this Beti Bachao Beti Padhao!”

Shamshad Pathan, a lawyer representing the victims of the riots, told PTI that a large number of convicts who have committed less heinous crimes than the accused men in the gangrape case continue to languish in jails without any remission. “When a government takes such a decision the hope of the victim in the system diminishes,” he added. “Even when the Supreme Court directed the Gujarat government to consider their remission, it should have considered the remission rather than allowing it.”

Who is Bilkis Bano?

In the heat of the 2002 Gujarat communal riots, Bilkis Bano was gangraped on March 3 when she was trying to flee her village along with her toddler daughter and 15 members of her family in 2002, when violence in Gujarat was at its peak. On March 3, Bano, who was five months pregnant at the time, was taking shelter in a field along with several other family members and her 3-year-old daughter, when a mob of 20-30 men attacked them. She was 19 and pregnant at the time. Fourteen members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, were killed by the Hindutva mob near Ahmedabad. One of the men snatched the girl from her mother’s arms and smashed her head on a rock. However, six other members managed to run away from the spot.

Probe, arrest and conviction

The Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe in the heinous act following which the accused were identified and arrested in 2004. In August 2004, the top court transferred the case to Mumbai after Bilkis Bano expressed apprehensions that witnesses could be harmed and the evidence collected by the CBI tampered. In January 21, 2008, the special CBI Court had sentenced the eleven accused to life imprisonment on the charge of gang rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family. They were all convicted on charges of conspiring to rape a pregnant woman, murder and unlawful assembly under the Indian Penal Code. Seven other accused were acquitted by the special court for want of evidence while one accused had died during the trial, wrote DNA. The 11 convicts are identified as Rajubhai Soni, Radhesham Shah, Kesarbhai Vohania, Shailesh Bhatt, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Bakabhai Vohania, Ramesh Chandana, Pradeep Mordhiya, Jaswantbhai Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Govindbhai Nai.

The remission

According to reports, the convicts had served more than 15 years in jail and one of them had approached the Supreme Court with a plea for premature release. The apex court had directed the Gujarat government to look into the issue of remission of his sentence following which the government formed a committee. Panchmahals Collector Sujal Mayatra headed the panel that looked into the premature release of these convicts, according to a DNA report. A committee formed a few months back took a unanimous decision in favour of remission of all the 11 convicts in the case. The recommendation was sent to the state government.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM