Bilkis Bano is an Indian rape survivor. She was brutally gang-raped by mobs during the Gujarat riots in 2002.
Wiki/Biography
Bilkis Yakub Rasool was born in 1981 (age 41 years; in 2022) in Radhikpur Village, Dahod District, Gujarat. Later, he moved to Devgadh Baria, Gujarat.
Physical appearance
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Bilkis belongs to a Muslim family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Abdul Ghachi, has a business selling milk. His mother and siblings were brutally killed in the Gujarat Riots of 2002.
Husband & Son
Bilkis married a man named Yakub Rasool. The couple has three daughters. Their first daughter Saleha was killed in the Gujarat Riots (2002). In his memory, they named their third child Saleha.
Bilkis Bano with her husband and daughter
Bilkis Bano with her husband and second daughter
2002 Godhra Riot Rape Victim
On the morning of February 27, 2002, a Sabarmati Express coach was attacked by a group of Muslims. The train was going from Ayodhya to Godhra carrying Hindu passengers. The mob set the train on fire and about 59 Hindus were burnt inside the train.
Godhra train fire incident
As soon as news spread that the attackers were Muslims, outrage began among Gujarat’s Hindus. Hordes of Hindus began to attack Muslims throughout the state. They started robbing, killing, and even raping Muslims. Many Muslim families were killed in the attack. Bilkis Bano and his family were among the Muslim families attacked by Hindu mobs. When Bilkis got news that Hindu mobs were attacking Muslims, he decided to flee with his family to a safer place. During the interview, recalling the incident, Bilkis said,
I was in the kitchen making lunch, when my aunt and her kids came running. They said their house was on fire and we had to leave immediately. We left with only the clothes we were wearing, we didn’t have time to put on our slippers.”
The old house of Bilgis Bano and his family which is now turned into a shop
Bilkis (then 5 months pregnant), her daughter, mother, siblings, and several other family members then hid in the sarpanch’s house in the village. They then took shelter in a school in their village, and later, moved to a mosque. At this time, one of his cousins who was 9 months pregnant gave birth to a baby girl. Bilkis and his family members tried to escape to different places, but on March 3, 2002, they were tracked down by Hindu mobs. A Hindu mob of around 20-30 people attacked Bilkis and his family members. A man from the group snatched Bilkis’s daughter from him and threw her on a rock after which her daughter died. Later, the mob brutally raped Bilkis, his siblings, and his mother. Of the 17 members of his family, 8 were killed and the rest were missing. After the brutal attack, Bilki was left unconscious, people thought he was dead, so they left him there. Reportedly, he woke up after almost three hours. He covered his naked body with a nearby coat and then fled to a hill. The next day, when he woke up, his throat was dry, so he looked for water nearby. He then saw a hand pump where an Adivasi woman gave him some clothes to wear. Bilkis saw a police officer there, he asked him to help him. He then took her to Limkheda Police Station in a police jeep. At the police station, he gave his statement to the Head Constable, Somabhai Gori. Bilki is the only witness left who knows the names of the criminals because most of the men are known to him and from his village. The head constable denied registering his complaint and sent him to a relief camp. In the camp, she met her husband who disappeared after the incident. During the interview, Bilkis’ husband spoke about the incident. He said,
I put everything aside—the riots, the lost family. I spoke to him lovingly, I tried to bring him out of the pain he was in.’ Since then, I have heard Bilkis testify a million times, to NGO workers, to lawyers, to journalists, but I never asked him—what happened to you? Who does what? You have also heard those words, but every time, I feel them in my heart.”
Pictures of the 2002 Gujarat Riots
At the camp, Bilkis underwent a medical examination, and soon his case was taken up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Later, the Supreme Court of India transferred his case to the CBI. Initially, the CBI tried to find the bodies of his family members, but they failed to do so as the bodies were beheaded by the mob. Bilki then requested the Supreme Court to transfer his case outside Gujarat as he received death threats and had to move to 20 different apartments. The Supreme Court accepted his plea and in August 2004, the apex court transferred his case from Gujarat to a special court in Mumbai. In court, a case was filed against 19 men including six police officers and a government doctor. Bilkis’s case was then taken up by Indian lawyer Shobha Gupta.
Bilkis Bano with her lawyer Shobha Gupta
On 21 January 2008, in the Bilkis rape case, 13 men were convicted of rape, of which 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment. The special court said that Jaswantbhai Nai, Govindbhai Nai, and Naresh Kumar Mordhiya (deceased) had raped Bilkis, and Shailesh Bhatt had killed her daughter. While the other prisoners in the case are Radheshyam Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Vohania, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Nitesh Bhatt, Ramesh Chandana, and Head Constable Somabhai Gori. In May 2017, the apex court upheld the decision of the Mumbai special court. In 2019, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Gujarat government to pay compensation of Rs 50 lakhs to Bilkis, but he refused to accept any compensation. Later, a panel was set up by the Gujarat government which gave the green flag to the application for a life sentence pardon for the convict. On August 15, 2022, prisoners were released from Godhra sub-jail. When releasing the prisoners, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Raj Kumar said,
The remission application was considered because the prisoner had served 14 years in prison, and factors such as “age, nature of the crime, behavior in prison and so on.”
During the interview, Bilkis talked about freeing his prisoners. He said,
The decision to release the man was ‘unfair.’ It has ‘shaken’ my faith in justice. When I heard that the prisoner who had destroyed my family and life had walked free, I was at a loss for words. I’m still numb. How can justice for any woman end like this? I trust the highest court in our country. I trusted the system, and I slowly learned to live with my trauma. The release of this prisoner has robbed me of my peace and shaken my faith in justice. I appealed to the Gujarat government to ‘undo this menace’ and “give me back my right to live without fear and in peace.”
When Bilkis’ husband was asked about the same, he said,
We have been left numb, shocked and shaken. The battle we fought for years was over in a second. The life sentence given by the court was reduced in such a way… We never heard the word ‘pardon’. We did not know that such a process existed.”
Videos and pictures after the prisoner’s release drew heavy criticism on social media, as the prisoner was greeted with sweets and garlands.
Prisoner Bilkis Bano
Some pictures from the event went viral where RSS congratulated the prisoners.
Prisoner Bilkis Bano welcomed by RSS
In an interview, while talking to reporters, one of the prisoners Shailesh Bhatt said,
We are victims of politics. Singor is a small village. All the prisoners are from this village. We are all victims of politics. I am a farmer and also an office bearer in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district unit while my brother was working as a clerk in Panchmahals Dairy when we were arrested. We were arrested in 2004 and remained in prison for more than 18 years. It feels good to be at home with my family members. Everyone is happy that we are back. My son was then eight or nine years old, now he is grown up and working with Panchmahal Dairy. I’m happy for him.”
Later, a petition was filed against the release of Bano’s victims. The petition was filed by CPI(M) Politburo member Subhashini Ali, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and women’s rights activists. The panel headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana agreed to hear the petition on August 25, 2022. In the hearing, the apex court issued a notice to the Gujarat government to give its reply in the case of acquittal of the accused.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
