With her rapists out of jail, Bilkis Bano’s ordeal is far from over

As India entered her 76th year of independence, so did 11 convicts who stepped out to freedom after completing more than 15 years of jail time.
According to a PTI report, these men were serving life imprisonment following the verdict of a special CBI court in Mumbai on January 21, 2008. They were charged with gang rape and murder of fifteen members of Bilkis Bano’s family, including her three children during the notorious Gujarat riots in 2002.
11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of gangrape and murder of 7 members of #BilkisBano ‘s family walked out of a Godhra sub-jail today. The Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. #2002GujaratRiots @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/u1dawz5zzm — Himanshi Dahiya (@himansshhi) August 16, 2022 The tragedy of Bilkis Bano Twenty years ago, on February 28, 2002, Sabarmati Express carrying karsevaks was set on fire in Godhra station. What followed the attack on the train were riots that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent victims, mostly Muslim families.
Bilkis Bano, who was a little less than 21 years of age and five months pregnant at that time, tried to flee the state with her family, including her three-year-old daughter – Sahela.
A resident of Randhikpur village in Dahod, her Hindu neighbours had set fire to most of the Muslim houses, including hers.
Terrified, Bilkis and her family ran for their lives. Their aim was to reach a Muslim majority settlement.