New York: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemned the “unjustified” release of 11 men who had been convicted of raping Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots and killing 14 members of her family.
USCIRF vice chair Abraham Cooper said in a statement, “USCIRF strongly condemns the early and unjustified release of 11 men sentenced to life in prison for raping a pregnant Muslim woman and committing murder against Muslim victims during the 2002 Gujarat Riots.”
USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck added that the release was a “travesty of justice” and only added to the “pattern of impunity” enjoyed by those accused of anti-minority violence in India. 11 men were convicted of the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 after Supreme Court decided to hand over investigation of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation following a complaint from the National Human Rights Commission that the Gujarat police which reported to then Chief Minister Modi was protecting the accused.
The apex court also agreed with the NHRC’s request that the case be tried in Maharashtra since the Gujarat government could not be counted upon to ensure a fair trial. BJP MLA C.K. Raulji referred to the rapists as “Brahmins” who have “good sanskar (values)”. The scenes of celebration involving the convicts after their release and the fact that the committee that recommended the remission had four people directly linked to the BJP, along with the policy employed to secure their release had led to countrywide condemnation and outrage.
Over 6,000 people including hundreds of women’s rights activists have urged Supreme Court to revoke the decision to grant the convicts remission of their sentence. Whereas, Supreme Court on 25 August issued notice to the Gujarat government on a petition challenging the premature release of 11 convicts sentenced to life for gang-raping Bilkis Bano and killing seven of her family in 2002. Web Desk
