Release of convicts in Bilkis Bano case in Gujarat sparks outrage in India.
NEW DELHI — Bilkis Bano was five months pregnant when she was attacked by a Hindu mob in 2002 as anti-Muslim violence gripped the western Indian state of Gujarat.
Bano, then 21, was raped by nearby swordsmen. Fourteen of her relatives were killed, including her 3-year-old daughter, who was ripped from her arms and slammed against a rock.
This week, 11 men serving life sentences for the crimes were released from prison after being pardoned by the Gujarat state government, sparking widespread outrage and an emotional call for justice from Bano.
“I trusted the system and slowly learned to live with my trauma,” she said, adding that the release had shaken her confidence in the justice system. “No one asked about my safety and well-being before making such a big and unjust decision.”
The development comes as a shock to the country struggling to tackle widespread sexual violence against women. In recent years, authorities have tightened laws and imposed tougher sentences, but rape convictions remain low.
Women’s rights groups said the release of the perpetrators on August 15, a 75th anniversary of the country’s independence, dealt a blow to any rape victim.
“We are ashamed that on the day we were supposed to celebrate our freedoms and be proud of our independence, the women of India instead saw the liberation of gang rapists and mass murderers as an act of state generosity,” the groups said in a statement. declaration.
It was also a setback for the survivors of the riots in Gujarat, who fought long and hard for justice. Riots broke out in 2002 after a train fire blamed on Muslims killed a group of Hindu pilgrims. More than 1,000 people were killed in the days of vigilante violence that followed, most of them Muslims. Narendra Modi, then the prime minister of Gujarat, is now the prime minister of India. Under his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, hate speech and violence against Muslims has surged.
The men released this week have received a hero’s welcome. In a video from outside the prison, they show: get candy. Local media said the men were later honored with flower garlands by members of Hindu nationalist groups affiliated with the BJP.
“They had been employed for 14 years. We asked about their behavior and their early release,” he said. “The nature of the crime and the safety of the victim were also taken into account.”
