'Bilkis Bano's Rapists Are Brahmins And Have Good Sanskar', Says BJP MLA

The Gujarat government recently set free 11 men who had spent roughly 15 years in prison after being found guilty of raping Bilkis Bano.?

According to the BJP's sitting MLA from Godhra, these men are "Brahmins" and have "good sanskaar."

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CK Raulji has supported the men, feted with treats and garlands after their release, amid nationwide outrage over their release.

One of the two BJP leaders on the Gujarat government panel that unanimously decided to free the rapists was CK Raulji.?

The choice was made after one of the prisoners petitioned the Supreme Court for mercy and forwarded the issue to the state government.

"I don't know whether they committed any crime or not. But there has to be the intention of committing a crime," CK Raulji was seen telling a reporter from Mojo Story.

"They were Brahmins, and Brahmins are known to have good sanskaar. It might have been someone's ill intention to corner and punish them," the MLA said in the interview, which has been widely shared on social media. He added that the prisoners behaved well while incarcerated.

On Independence Day, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about women's empowerment from the Red Fort ramparts, the rapists were set free.

Soon after, videos showing a right-wing group giving them a warm welcome started to surface.

The Gujarat government tried to defend its decision amid severe criticism, stating that it did so by a Supreme Court-directed 1992 policy because that was in place at the time of the conviction in 2008.

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Many people are disgusted by the action, which was taken in defiance of current regulations that forbid remission for murder and rape convicts. The opposition parties have expressed their issues with the decision to the opposition.?

Bilkis Bano spent years in hiding, moving homes frequently until the rapists were put behind bars.?

Bilkis Bano Statement

She was too shocked to think about what to do next, her safety, or any legal options after being released. She has requested that the Gujarati government "ensure that my family and I are kept safe" by overturning its decision.

Y Satish Reddy, the social media convenor of Telangana's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi, tweeted the video clip,

"They are Brahmins, Men of Good Sanskaar. Their conduct in jail was good": BJP MLA #CKRaulji BJP now terms rapists as 'Men of Good Sanskar.' This is the lowest a party can ever stoop!" his tweet read.

Rahul Gandhi, a member of Congress, had earlier tweeted that the release showed the BJP's attitude toward women.

"Unnao - worked to save BJP MLA. Kathua - rally in favor of rapists. Hathras - the government in favor of rapists. Gujarat - the release and honor of rapists. The support to criminals displays the petty mindset of the BJP towards women. Are you not ashamed of such politics, Prime Minister Ji," his tweet read.

Mahua Moitra, a member of the Trinamool Congress, stated on Twitter that the country "had better decide whether Bilkis Bano is a woman or a Muslim."

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted that, along with CK Raulji and Suman Chauhan,?

"Another member (of the panel reviewing the remission appeal) was Shri Murli Mulchandani, a key witness for the prosecution in the Godhra Train burning case!

When Bilkis Bano was gang-raped during the riots in Gujarat in 2002, she was 21 years old and five months pregnant.?

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Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members who were murdered and also had her head bashed in with rocks. She asserts seven additional family members were killed and listed as "missing."

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