The 11 convicts who brutally raped Bilkis Bano and murdered members of her family walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.?The rapists had completed over 15 years in jail.
However, the decision hasn't gone down too well with the people of India. People have voiced their opinions saying it's unfair to Bilkis Bano, who will once again have to live a fearful life.?
Reacting to the verdict of setting free the culprits, famous singer Rabbi Shergill, while appearing on NDTV's show No Spin, shared his two cents.
"I want to tell Bilkis, come to Punjab; we will protect you with our last drop of blood. The sardars will take care of you. And it's not just about my community. I personally want to hug her and convey to her that her pain is our pain, and she is not alone."
He also spoke about how such verdicts are 'hollowing out' our society, and there is a shortage of 'heroes.'?
"Bilkis (case) was a collective wound on our conscience. I don't think what happened to Bilkis Bano shook us enough to somehow girdle up as a society and say, this won't happen again," said Shergill.
Shergill added,
"And that is my message to almost everyone. And largely, the message is, please, let's just start caring about justice. Because if we don't do that, we hollow out our society. We don't have heroes. Our next generation just wants to leave."
11 defendants serving life sentences in the 2002 case of Bilkis Bano's gang rape and murder of her seven family members during the Gujarat riots walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15, as India celebrated its 75th anniversary of independence.
The BJP-led state government's decision to release them under its remission policy attracted harsh condemnation from political opponents and the members of the civil society.
A special CBI court in Mumbai gave them a life sentence on January 21, 2008. Later, the Bombay High Court upheld the defendant's conviction.
They were released after the Supreme Court directed the government to consider the convicts' plea for relief under the state's 1992 remission policy.?
BJP-affiliated groups greeted them with presents, hugs, and garlands. As a committee member that approved their release, a BJP MLA referred to the men as Brahmins with "good sanskar" (culture).
One of the prisoners addressed the Supreme Court after serving more than 15 years in jail to ask to be released early.
At the age of 21, Bilkis Bano saw the murder of seven members of her family. She had a three-year-old daughter who was one of them. She claims seven further relatives were murdered and listed as "missing." The woman was gang-raped while she was five months pregnant.?
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