My case is about shameful failure of state in protecting its people: Bilkis Bano
New Delhi: Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots, on Wednesday said the Supreme Court's direction to the state government to provide her compensation will give hope to other victims, and called for ending the "hate and fear gripping the country".
She, however, lamented that her family did not get any support and protection from the state government during their 17-year-long battle for justice.
"My case is about the shameful failure of the state in protecting its people," Bano told a press conference and added that she faced much hardship in the years following the riots.
The Supreme court Tuesday directed the Gujarat government to give Rs 50 lakh compensation, a job and accommodation to Bano who was gang-raped while seven of her family members were killed.
The top court also directed the state government to pay her the compensation within two weeks.
Bano said the Supreme Court's direction to the Gujarat government has reaffirmed her faith in judiciary and the Constitution.
Expressing gratitude to the judiciary for "acknowledging her suffering and struggle," she said she will create a fund in the memory of her first child Saleha who was brutally killed by a mob in front of her eyes during the riots.
She said her elder daughter (16), who was in her womb during the 2002 violence, wants to be a lawyer to fight for justice for others. She said it can help other women survivors of communal violence in their journeys for justice.
"The apex court understood my pain, my suffering and my struggle to regain the constitutional rights that were lost to me in the violence of 2002. No citizen should have to suffer at the hands of the state whose duty is to protect us," Bano said.
The 38-year-old said she could not even give a proper burial to her daughter Saleha, a feeling which has always haunted her and the "hateful and fearful" thoughts of communal violence have tormented her ever since.
"I pray today that the spirit of the victims like her, the courage of survivors, the struggles of ordinary citizens, and the democratic institutions of India will come together again and again to end the hate and fear that is gripping our country," she said.
"My daughter Saleha's body was lost in the tide of hatred that swept over Gujarat in 2002. There is no grave for Saleha that I could visit and weep upon. But her spirit has been with me. I know she is up there, somewhere, and through helping others, she will live on in the lives of other children," she said.
When asked if she was satisfied with the life sentence given to 11 convicted in her case, Bano said, "My battle was never for revenge, it was for justice."
Bano, who cast her vote in Devgadh Baria village on Tuesday, said the apex court's "exemplary" direction will give hope to other victims of rape and communal violence.
Answering a question on whether she will accept the government accommodation and job, she said she wants to live a stable life, a job for her husband Yakub, and education for her children.
According to the prosecution, on March 3, 2002 Bano's family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad in the aftermath of the Godhra riots.
Bilkis was five months pregnant when she was gang-raped. The trial in the case initially began in Ahmedabad. However, after Bano expressed apprehensions that the witnesses could be harmed and the CBI evidence tampered with, the apex court transferred the case to Mumbai in August 2004.
A special court on January 21, 2008 convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment 11 men for raping Bano and murdering seven of her family members, while acquitting seven persons including the policemen and doctors.
The high court, on May 4, 2017, convicted seven people -- five policemen and two doctors -- under sections 218 (not performing their duties) and section 201 (tampering of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The top court had on July 10, 2017 dismissed the appeals of two doctors and four policemen challenging their conviction by the high court saying there was "clear-cut evidence" against them. One of the officers did not appeal.
The convicts had later approached the Bombay High Court and sought quashing and setting aside of the trial court's conviction.
The CBI had also filed an appeal in the high court seeking harsher punishment of death for three of the convicted persons on the ground that they were the main perpetrators of the crime.
The convicts had challenged the order on three main grounds - that all evidence in the case was fabricated by CBI, that Bilkis gave birth to a child after the incident, proving that she could not have been gang-raped, and the failure to find the bodies of some of her family members which proved that they were not killed.
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Punjab CM Mann calls twin blasts 'minor', blames BJP for creating atmosphere of fear
Chandigarh (PTI): Terming the twin blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar "minor", Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday targeted the BJP and said this was how the party was preparing for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
Two blasts occurred on Tuesday night, one outside the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier headquarters in Jalandhar at around 8 pm and another near the army cantonment area in Khasa, Amritsar, at around 11 pm.
The BJP wants to create an atmosphere of fear, Mann told reporters, adding that the party wanted to scare people into getting their votes. "BJP is a communal party. The assembly elections are over in West Bengal, and they (BJP) have said that now it is Punjab's turn, which indicates that these minor blasts are part of their preparation for the Punjab assembly elections," the chief minister said, adding that investigations are underway.
Mann further alleged that the BJP always sought to gain votes by inciting violence and intimidating the public.
"I urge the BJP to cease such tactics. Punjab is a peaceful state. We are the people who always seek the welfare of the world," Mann said while speaking to reporters in Anandpur Sahib after starting his four-day 'Shukrana Yatra' for the implementation of the anti-sacrilege law.
He claimed that the BJP had a penchant for stirring up trouble in states where it is contesting elections.
Noting the significance of the newly enacted anti-sacrilege law -- the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026 -- Mann stated that it counteracts the BJP's efforts to provoke conflict between communities.
"With the anti-sacrilege law in place, no one will engage in sacrilegious acts at their behest," he said, further alleging that the law contradicts the BJP's agenda.
Mann expressed concern regarding the BJP's tactics, saying, "The BJP claims it is ready for Punjab. Are they trying to scare people with these minor blasts to secure votes? Punjab has already experienced dark times in the past."
"This is the BJP's style of working. In every state where it contests elections, it instigates riots, carries out minor blasts, and divides people based on religion and caste. This demonstrates their preparation for Punjab," he further alleged.
Mann also noted that Punjab often plays a significant role whenever the country faces a crisis. He emphasised that peace, along with law and order, will be maintained at all costs.
Later, in a statement, Mann alleged that the bomb blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar were part of a deliberate strategy to destabilise the state after the passage of the anti-sacrilege law.
Drawing parallels with West Bengal, Mann alleged that the BJP "thrives on creating communal tension, panic and unrest in poll-bound states to polarise voters," but asserted that peace-loving Punjabis would never allow the saffron party to destroy the hard-earned harmony of Punjab for electoral gains.
He further alleged that the BJP was trying to create "unrest" in Punjab on the pattern of West Bengal ahead of elections, but the people of Punjab are politically aware and united against such conspiracies.
"Violence, divisiveness and communal tension are the patent of the BJP and an integral part of the saffron party's politics. BJP is trying to incite violence and fear in Punjab on the pattern of Bengal to win the ensuing polls. However, BJP's nefarious designs will never succeed in Punjab because anything can germinate on the fertile land of Punjab, but seeds of hatred can never grow here," the chief minister claimed.
Condemning the blasts in the state, Mann alleged such incidents reflected the BJP's "brand of politics", aimed at spreading terror and panic to polarise society and garner votes. "This divisive politics is being pursued by the BJP in every poll-bound state for electoral gains," he alleged.
Mann said those responsible for the blasts would soon be exposed and brought to justice. "All those involved in this heinous crime against humanity will be brought to book and put behind bars very soon. Strict punishment will be ensured for these people because the Punjab Government has zero tolerance for any activity that threatens the peace, safety and integrity of Punjab," he said.
In response to a question about the West Bengal assembly elections, Mann mentioned Mamata Banerjee's complaints regarding the looting of the electoral mandate. "The Election Commission is also facing accusations. It should clarify its stance, ensuring it is not one-sided," Mann added.
