The family of Bilkis Bano — the woman gangraped during the 2002 Gujarat riots — are terrified after the Gujarat government released the 11 rapists on Monday. “The Supreme Court, the Bombay High Court gave orders and still… In just one move, our fight of 18 years is over. We are scared. We weren’t informed about the release,” Bilkis Bano’s husband Yakub Rasul told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
The men walked free on Independence Day. Cellphone videos circulated later on social media showed them being feted with sweets and garlands. Â
A committee formed by the government had come to a unanimous decision in favour of remission, following the state’s own policy of 1992. The matter had passed to the state after one of the convicts approached the Supreme Court seeking remission. The court had asked the state to look into the issue.
Asked if they are going to issue a legal challenge, Mr Rasul said, “We are still in shock and don’t know whether we’ll question it”.
“We have no legal papers and don’t know much right now. We are still in shock. What happened with us is complete injustice,” he added.
The family, he confirmed, was not informed about the release. “We had no idea, we got to know about it from the local media. We learnt at the last moment,” he said.
Asked if they are concerned about their safety now that the rapists are out, and whether they will move from their current home, Yakub Rasul said, “We can’t say anything whether we’ll move to another place or not”.
Bilkis Bano saw seven members of her family — including her little daughter — murdered in March 2002 as violence spiralled after a compartment of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire in Godhra, killing 59 people.
The woman, who was five months pregnant, was gangraped.
In 2008, a special court in Mumbai sentenced the 11 men to life term. The sentence was later upheld by the Bombay High Court.
