By Arjumand Shaheen
“Bereft of words and Numb,” are the words Bilkis Bano uttered in August 2022, following the release of 11 convicts granted remission by the Gujarat Government. These convicts were involved in the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 riots in the state. She found herself speechless and emotionally numb after their release from jail
In her statement, Bano lamented the convicts’ release, which shattered her peace and eroded her faith in the justice system. However, she remained resolute in her pursuit of justice, filing a review petition in the Supreme Court. Her persistent fight for justice ultimately led to a pivotal moment when, on Monday, the Supreme Court overturned the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to the 11 convicts, ordering them to surrender to jail authorities within two weeks.
Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan presided over the court and criticized the remission orders, labeling them as ‘stereotyped’ and lacking due consideration. The apex court deemed the Gujarat government’s actions as an abuse of power, asserting that the government did not possess the authority to release the convicts.
The court clarified that the ‘appropriate government’ in such cases refers to the government under which the trial was conducted, not the location of the crime. In this instance, while the crime occurred in Gujarat, the trial took place in Maharashtra following intervention by the Supreme Court due to Bano’s complaints of intimidation and threats from state officials and police within Gujarat.
The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on October 12, 2022, following an 11-day hearing on petitions contesting the remission, including one filed by Bilkis Bano. Reacting to the court’s decision, Shobha Gupta, Bilkis’ lawyer, shared Bano’s elation, stating that it had been a lengthy and tumultuous fight, culminating in immense satisfaction.
Revisiting the events of 22 years ago, on February 27, 2002, a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set ablaze in Godhra, Gujarat, resulting in the death of at least 58 pilgrims. Subsequent blaming of Muslims for the incident triggered brutal anti-Muslim violence, including killings, mass rapes, beatings, and lootings, lasting over two months.
During this period, Narendra Modi served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, overseeing a tumultuous time when over 1,000 people, predominantly Muslims, were killed, 20,000 Muslim homes were destroyed, and at least 150,000 individuals were displaced.
Bilkis Bano, then 20 years old, along with 15 family members, including her three-year-old daughter, attempted to flee their village, Randhikpur, amidst the violence. However, a mob of 20-30 armed assailants attacked them. They brutally raped Bano, who was five months pregnant, along with her mother and three other women. Tragically, Bano’s three-year-old daughter, Saleha, was also killed during the attack, adding to the loss as the entire family fell victim to the violence.
Despite severe injuries and trauma, Bano survived as the attackers assumed she was dead. After regaining consciousness amid dead bodies in a forest, she sought help from an Adivasi woman for clothing and eventually reached a local police station, initiating her quest for justice.
Bano encountered numerous obstacles during the process, facing rejection from local police in registering her case due to insufficient evidence and encountering attempts to distort the facts. She endured threats from officials and police, necessitating her relocation 20 times in two years. Eventually, the National Human Rights Commission intervened, leading to a CBI investigation in December 2003. The CBI uncovered disturbing findings during their inquiry, revealing attempts to protect the accused, including mutilation of corpses to prevent identification.
In 2004, the Supreme Court relocated the trial from Gujarat to Maharashtra, where 13 individuals were found guilty of various charges, including rape, conspiracy, and murder, with 11 of them receiving life sentences.
However, in August 2022, Bilkis Bano was once again forced to hide in an undisclosed location after the 11 convicts were released under the Gujarat government’s remission policy. Their release coincided with India’s 75th Independence Day, contrasting starkly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for empowering and respecting women in his Independence Day speech.
The convicts’ reception with sweets and garlands drew widespread criticism across the nation, prompting multiple public interest litigations urging the Supreme Court to intervene and overturn the decision.
Following the remission, Bilkis Bano sought refuge at an undisclosed location due to security concerns. Today, following the Apex Court’s verdict, both Bilkis Bano and the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief. Political figures, including Asaduddin Owaisi, Rahul Gandhi, Mamta Banerjee, K. Kavita, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), lauded the Supreme Court’s decision.
In Bano’s village, people celebrated the Apex Court’s verdict by bursting firecrackers outside her residence, marking a significant victory for her and the pursuit of justice.”
PEOPLE SAY Y ?
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN ?
THIS IS HINDOO CULTURE !
Case 1
If she should not grant him his desire, he should bribe her. If she still does not grant him his desire, he should hit her with a stick or with his hand, and overcome her, saying: ‘With power, with glory I take away your glory!’ Thus she becomes inglorious – id.est., raped ! Brihadâranyaka Upanishad VI:4:6. 7.
Case 2- Rapes by Hindoo Gods
Bilkis rapists merely followed the Hindoo Gods
Sage Atri – As Shiva,Indra and Vishnu , “raped his wife Anasuya” Sage Gautama – As Indra “raped his wife Ahilya”, by stealth he said the following from the Skanda PuranaV.iii.136.2-16
O beautiful la dy of uncensured features, resort to me, the king of Devas, “Sport about with me”. What will you do with this Brahmana “who has become lean and
emaciated”, due to his “over- zealousness for purity and conventional rites and austerities” and Vedic studies
What did the Aswins say before they raped the Brahmin Sukanya
Mahabharata 3.123 “O divinely beautiful damsel, do thou, forsaking Chyavana accept one of us for husband. It behoveth thee not to spend thy youth fruitlessly…”
Case 3 Best Practice 1 – The Hindoo Gods had a POETIC way of rape.dindooohindoo
Post Rape they composed rape poetry for the rape victim – which is what the Nirbhaya rapists did not do.
This is Indra Once, knowing that Gautama was away, Indra (called Thousand Eyes), Saci’s husband, took on the likeness of the sage, and said to Ahalya: “‘Men pursuing their desire do not wait for the proper season, O you , who have a perfect body. Making love with you: that’s what I want. That waist of yours is lovely.’
What does Ahilya say And then, her inner being satisfied, she said to the god, ‘ I’m satisfied, king of the gods.Go quickly from here. O giver of honor, lover,protect yourself and me.’ And how does Indra “describe his sexual encounter “? And Indra smiled and said to Ahalya, ‘Woman of lovely hips, I am very content. I’ll go the way I came.’ Thus after making love, he came out of the hut made of leaves.
Case 4
Y are Hindos compulsive rapists ? Is that a Joke ? Y does Manusrmiti say that Dindoo Hindoo women are harlots ? The Bilkis rapists followed Manu
“Good looks do not matter to them, nor do they care about youth; ‘A man!’ they say, and enjoy sex with him, whether he is good-looking or ugly.
By running after men like whores, by their fickle minds. Knowing that their very own nature is like this, as it was born at the creation by the Lord of Creatures (Prajapati),a man should make the utmost effort to guard them.
The bed and the seat, jewellery, lust, anger, crookedness, a malicious nature, and bad conduct are what Manu assigned to women.
There is no ritual with Vedic verses for women; this is a firmly established point of law” — Manusmrti 9:14-18.
RAPE IS IN THE HINDOO DNA – A FORM OF CASTE AND CLASS DOMINATION OVER MUSLIMS AND DALITS AND RAPE IS A SUBSET OF THAT