New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the remission granted to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case of the 2002 Gujarat violence, alleging that while he spoke of “respect for women” from the Red Fort, in reality his government “supported” rapists.
“Talk of respect for women from the ramparts of the Red Fort but in reality support for ‘rapists’,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.“The difference between the Prime Minister’s promises and intentions is clear, PM has only betrayed women,” he said.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing from the 2002 violence in Gujarat. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.
The investigation in the case was handed over to the CBI and the trial was transferred to a Maharashtra court by the Supreme Court. A special CBI court in Mumbai had on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 men to life imprisonment on charges of gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven members of her family.
Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay high court and the Supreme Court.The 11 men convicted in the case walked out free from the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.
Stain will never wash off: Congress
The Congress party also accused the Modi government of granting premature release to the convicts in the case for political motives and said “this stain on the legacy of this dispensation will never wash off”.
“It is repugnant, reprehensible and revolting that an elected government chose to release these convicts in such a cavalier manner. The grant of premature release to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case is a stain on this government’s legacy that will never wash off,” he told reporters.
Singhvi said when the release was ordered on August 15, the Modi government maintained a studied and deliberate silence on freeing the criminals, an action which has drawn legitimate criticism the world over and “exposed our system to widespread shame and ridicule”.
“The fact that the Modi government actively suppressed this fact shows that even it was aware that the action was a condemnable one,” he noted.“There are many compromises in politics. But the BJP has made the greatest compromise of all; a sacrifice of the last shred of conscience that separated them from those craven and venal elements who prize solely their own political survival over all else.”
“Why has the Modi Government, despite the objections of senior officials, sought to grant preferential treatment to individuals convicted of so reprehensible, horrific and heinous a crime?” the Congress leader asked
Singhvi also asked if such treatment will be granted to all individuals who are accused of heinous offences or if this was a limited-time offer contingent on the upcoming elections in Gujarat.
Union minister defends move
However, Union parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday defended his government granting approval to release the convicted men, saying, “I don’t find anything wrong in it as it is done as a process of the law.”According to NDTV, the minister claimed there were many aspects that led to the remission of the sentences but mentioned only their behaviour. “I don’t want to go into the details,” he said.Joshi added that the Union government was not singularly responsible for the decision to release the convicts
Rukul Singh
