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‘Still numb, Gujarat govt must undo this harm’: Know what Bilkis Bano said on release of her 11 rapists

Bilkis Bano was gang raped by a mob in 2002, and seven of her family members were killed during the horrific incident.

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Soon after the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case walked free due to the decision made by the Gujarat government, the family of the 2002 Gujarat riots survivor expressed their shock and despair over the premature release of the rapists.

Now, Bilkis Bano herself broke her silence on the release of the 11 men by the Gujarat government on August 15, despite them being sentenced to life imprisonment. Bano, in an official statement, said that she was left “numb” by the “big and unjust decision” of the Gujarat government.

Bilkis Bano, a survivor of the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, on Wednesday said the premature release of all the 11 convicts serving a life sentence in a case related to her and seven family members, has shaken faith in justice and left her numb.

Criticizing the move, she said nobody enquired about her safety and well-being before taking "such a big and unjust decision," and appealed to the Gujarat government to "undo this harm" and give back her right to "live without fear and in peace."

Bilkis Bano’s lawyer released a statement on her behalf which said, “Two days ago, on August 15, 2022, the trauma of the past 20 years washed over me again when I heard that the 11 convicted men who devastated my family and my life, and took from me my three-year-old daughter, had walked free.”

She further added, “I trusted the highest courts in our land. I trusted the system, and I was learning slowly to live with my trauma. The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice.”

Bilkis Bano, as quoted by PTI, said, “My sorrow and my wavering faith is not for myself alone but for every woman who is struggling for justice in courts.” She further appealed to the Gujarat government to reverse its decision of releasing the 11 convicts.

The Gujarat government, on August 15, decided to release the 11 men who were convicted in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case and the murder of her family. The convicts were let off early before the completion of their sentence under the remission policy of the state.

(With PTI inputs)

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