Bilkis Bano is an Indian rape survivor. During the 2002 Gujarat riots, she was brutally raped by a mob.
Wiki/Biography
Bilkis Yakub Rasool was born in 1981 (41 years old; as of 2022) in Radikpur village, Dahod district, Gujarat. Later, she moved to Devgad Baria in Gujarat.
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Bilkis comes from a Muslim family.
Parents and siblings
Her father, Abdul Ghachi, ran a milk sales business. Her mother and sisters were brutally killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
husband and children
Bilkis’s husband is Yakub Rasool. The couple has three daughters. Their first daughter, Saleha, was killed during the Gujarat riots (2002). They named their third daughter Saleha in her honor.
Bilkis Bano with her husband and daughter
Bilkis Bano with her husband and second daughter
2002 Godhra riots rape victim
On the morning of February 27, 2002, a coach of the Sabarmati Express was attacked by a Muslim mob. The train was carrying Hindu passengers from Ayodhya to Godhra. The mob set fire to the train and about 59 Hindus were burned to death on the train.
Godhra train burning incident
As soon as word spread that the attackers were Muslims, Hindus in Gujarat erupted in anger. Hindu mobs began attacking Muslims across the state. They started robbing, killing and even raping Muslims. Many Muslim families were killed in the attacks. Bilkis Bano and her family were among the Muslim families attacked by Hindu mobs. When Bilkis got word of Hindu mob attacks on Muslims, she decided to flee with her family to a safer place. Bilkis recalled the incident in an interview, saying:
I was in the kitchen making lunch when my aunt and her kids came running over. They said their home had been set on fire and we had to leave immediately. We only left the clothes we had on and didn’t even have time to put on slippers. “
The former home of Bilgis Bano and his family has been converted into a store
Bilkis (who was 5 months pregnant at the time), her daughter, mother, siblings and some other family members then hid in Sarpanch’s house in the village. They then took refuge in a school in the village and later moved to a mosque. During this time, one of her cousins, who was nine months pregnant, gave birth to a baby girl. Bilkis and her family tried to escape to different places, but on March 3, 2002, they were discovered by Hindu mobs. A Hindu mob of around 20 to 30 people attacked Bilkis and her family. Bilkis’ daughter died after a man in the mob snatched her daughter from her hands and smashed her against a stone. Later, the mob brutally raped Bilkis, her siblings, and her mother. Eight of her 17 family members were killed and others are missing. After the brutal attack, Bilkis fell unconscious and the thugs thought she was dead, so they left her there. It reportedly took nearly three hours for her to regain consciousness. She covered her naked body with a nearby petticoat and fled to a hill. The next day, she woke up with a dry throat and looked for water nearby. Then she found a hand pump and an Aboriginal woman gave her some clothes to wear. Bilkis saw a policeman there and she asked him to help her. He then took her to Limkheda police station in a police jeep. At the police station, she gave her statement to the police chief, Somabhai Gori. Bilkis was the only witness who knew the names of the killers, as most of them were known to her and were from her village. The police chief denied registering her complaint and sent her to a relief camp. At the camp, she met her husband, who disappeared after the incident. In an interview, Bilkis’ husband spoke about the incident. He said,
I put everything aside – the riots, the family we lost. I talked to her with love and I tried to free her from the pain she was in. “Since then, I have listened to Bilkis testify a million times to NGO workers, lawyers, journalists, but I have never asked her – What happened to you? Who did what? You heard these words too But every time, I feel it in my heart.”
Photos of 2002 Gujarat riots
In the camp, Bilkis underwent a medical examination and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) immediately took up her case. The Supreme Court of India later transferred her case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Initially, the CBI tried to recover the bodies of her family members but failed as the bodies were beheaded by the mob. Bilkis then asked the Supreme Court to transfer her case outside Gujarat as she received death threats and had to be moved to 20 different apartments. The Supreme Court accepted her plea and transferred her case from Gujarat to a special court in Mumbai in August 2004. In court, 19 men were charged, including six police officers and a government doctor. Bilkis’ case was subsequently taken up by Indian lawyer Shobha Gupta.
Bilkis Bano and her lawyer Shobha Gupta
On January 21, 2008, 13 men were found guilty of rape in the Bilkis rape case, and 11 of them were sentenced to life imprisonment. The special court said Jaswantbhai Nai, Govindbhai Nai and Naresh Kumar Mordhiya (deceased) raped Bilkis while Shailesh Bhatt killed her daughter. Other convicts in the case include Radheshyam Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Vohania, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Nitesh Bhatt, Ramesh Chandana and Superintendent of Police Somabhai Gori. In May 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Bombay Special Court. In 2019, India’s Supreme Court directed the Gujarat government to pay Rs 5 million in compensation to Bilkis, but she refused to accept any compensation. Later, the Gujarat government formed a team to give the green flag for the convicts to seek life imprisonment. On August 15, 2022, the prisoners were released from Godhra sub-jail. While releasing the convicts, Chief Secretary (Home) Raj Kumar said:
The reason for considering the application for commutation of sentence is that these criminals have served 14 years in prison, and factors such as “age, nature of crime, behavior in prison, etc.” are considered.
In an interview, Bilkis spoke about freeing her prisoners. She said,
The decision to release the men was “unjust.” It “shaken” my faith in justice. When I heard that the criminals who destroyed my family and my life had been released, I was speechless. I’m still numb. How could a woman’s justice end like this? I trust our nation’s highest court. I trust the system and I am slowly learning to live with my trauma. The release of these prisoners took away my peace and shook my faith in justice. I appeal to the Government of Gujarat to “undo this harm” and “give me back my right to live in peace and without fear.”
When Bilkis’ husband was asked the same question, he said:
We are numb, shocked and shaken. The war we fought for so many years was over in an instant. The life sentence imposed by the court was reduced in this way… We have not even heard of the word “reduction”. We don’t even know such a process exists. “
Videos and photos of prisoners being greeted with sweets and garlands following their release have received huge criticism on social media.
prisoner of bilkis bano
Several pictures from the event went viral and the RSS congratulated the criminals.
RSS congratulates prisoners of Bilkis Bano
One of the prisoners, Shailesh Bhatt, said in an interview with reporters,
We are victims of politics. Singol is a small village. All prisoners belong to this village. We are all victims of politics. When we were arrested, I was a farmer and an officer in the district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while my brother worked as a clerk in Panchmahals Dairy Factory. We were arrested in 2004 and spent over 18 years in prison. It feels so good to be with my family. Everyone is happy we are back. My son was eight or nine years old at the time and now he is an adult and works in Panchmahal Dairy. I’m happy for him. “
Later, a petition was filed against the release of the Bano victims. The petition was filed by CPI(M) politburo member Subhashni Ali, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and women’s rights activists. The bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana agreed to hear the petition on August 25, 2022. During the hearing, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Gujarat government seeking its response in the case for the release of the accused. On January 8, 2024, the Supreme Court of India ordered prisoners to surrender to prison authorities within two weeks.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education