Bilkis Bano Case: Pregnant woman beaten, gang-raped, innocent killed; What happened to Bilkis that day?

Bilkis Bano Gujarat Wiki: Bilkis Bano and her family are one of the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Bilkis Bano was gang-raped and many of her family members were murdered during the communal violence.

More than 21 years old Bilkis Bano case is once again in the news. On Monday, the Supreme Court canceled the Gujarat government's decision to release 11 convicts in the case. The court also ordered the convicts to surrender within two weeks. All these convicts were serving sentences in the case of gang rape of a woman named Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven people of her family during communal violence in Godhra, Gujarat. He was released by the Gujarat government on 15 August 2023.

The Supreme Court said in its decision on Monday that where the criminal has been tried and sentenced, only the state can decide to pardon the convicts. The court said that the Gujarat government cannot decide on the remission of the sentence of the culprits, but the Maharashtra government will take the decision on it. It is noteworthy that the Bilkis Bano case was heard in Maharashtra. The Supreme Court also said that the Gujarat government's decision to release the convicts was an abuse of power.

Who is Bilkis Bano?

On 27 February 2002, Sabarmati Express was set on fire near Godhra station. In this incident, 59 devotees returning from Ayodhya died. After this incident of arson, riots broke out in Gujarat. Bilkis Bano's family was one of the many families affected by these riots. Four days after the Godhra incident, on March 3, 2002, Bilkis's family had to face extreme cruelty. At that time, there were 15 other members in the family of 21-year-old Bilkis along with Bilkis and her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. The rioters had killed seven members of Bilkis's family.

What happened to Bilkis?

After the incident of 27 February, communal riots spread in the state. Bilkis Bano's family lived in Radhikpur village of Dahod district. Seeing the riot increasing, the family decided to leave the village and run away. Bilkis was five months pregnant at that time. She fled the village along with her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Saleha and 15 other family members.
On March 3, 2002, the family reached Chapparwad village and hid in a field adjacent to the unpaved road leading to Panniwela village. According to the charge sheet filed in the court, around 20-30 people, including 11 convicted convicts, armed with sickles, swords, and sticks attacked Bilkis and his family. Seven people, including Bilkis's three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, were killed in the attack.

A three-and-a-half-year-old innocent girl was killed by throwing her on a stone

Last year in August, during the hearing of Bilkis Bano's petition in the Supreme Court, Bilkis Bano's lawyer narrated the painful incident. Advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing on his behalf, said that this was not an accidental incident, the culprits were chasing him. The culprits were trying to find out where they were hiding. They were thirsty for blood.
The lawyer told the court that 'when Bilquis was five months pregnant, she was brutally gang-raped multiple times and her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter was thrown to death on a rock.' The lawyer said she kept pleading with the attackers but they showed no mercy to her or her family.

Cruelty and brutality even with the family

The lawyer further said, 'Bilkis's mother and cousin's sister were gang-raped and murdered. Four minor brothers and sisters...their cousin's sister's two-day-old baby...aunts and other cousins were murdered.

Advocate Shobha said that the bodies that could be recovered were found with their heads and chests crushed. He said that although there were 14 deaths, only the bodies of seven could be recovered because the place where the incident occurred was not safe.

Bilkis had become unconscious after the incident and had asked for clothes on loan

Only Bilkis, his male family members, and a three-year-old child survived the attack. Bilquis remained unconscious for at least three hours after the incident. After regaining consciousness, he borrowed clothes from a tribal woman. He then met a home guard who took him to Limkheda police station where he lodged a complaint with head constable Somabhai Gori. According to CBI, Ghori hid important facts of the complaint and distorted it.

Only after reaching the Godhra relief camp, Bilkis was taken to a government hospital for examination. After a few days, his case reached the National Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court. From here orders for a CBI investigation into the matter were given. After this, in January 2008, a special court convicted 11 accused of rape, murder, illegal assembly, and other sections. 11 convicts serving their sentence in this case were released on August 15, 2023, which was challenged in the Supreme Court.