Bilkis Bano’s Convict’s good behavior was the reason to let go the convicts of Bilkis Bano case.Recently, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi allowed the premature release of the 11 convicts related to Bilkis Bano case on 15th August 2022. Bilkis Bano is a pregnant Muslim woman, who escaped death and survived to demand justice from the Government.Â
Introduction:
This Independence Day which we usually celebrate on 15th August, turned out to be a “horrendous day” for Bilkis because the Gujarati government had already released all of the criminals responsible for the horrible act from custody.
Bilkis Bano managed to survive and continue to struggle for justice. 11 defendants were found guilty of gang rape and murder and sentenced to life in prison by the Bombay High Court; this year, the convicts served more than 15 years in prison.
Why recently in the news?
A senior Telangana IAS official tweeted in favour of Ms. Bano from her personal account and questioned the Gujarat government’s choice to free 11 men who had been found guilty of gang raping Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The main question is ‘Are the government going to release every criminal, are they starting to behave in a well mannered way’?
In India, life sentences for these offenses are often served till death.
After reviewing petitions submitted by opposition lawmakers and activists, the Supreme Court has requested the Gujarat government’s response.
One of the most heinous acts committed during the riots, which started after 60 Hindu pilgrims were killed in a passenger train fire in Godhra town, was the attack on Bilkis Bano and her family.
Hindu lynch mobs went on the rampage, attacking Muslim neighbourhoods while blaming Muslims for sparking the fire. Over 1,000 individuals were killed in three days, the majority of them Muslims.
RAPE STATISTICS IN INDIA:
According to the most recent government report on crimes in the nation, India reported 31,677 cases of rape in 2021, or 86 cases per day on average, while there were approximately 49 incidences of crimes against women reported every single hour.
Rape cases decreased from 32,033 in 2019 to 28,046 in 2020, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) “Crime in India 2021” report. The Ministry of Home Affairs oversees the NCRB’s operations.
Rajasthan (6,337) had the most rape incidents among the states, followed by Madhya Pradesh (2,947), Maharashtra (2,496), and Uttar Pradesh (2,845). In contrast, Delhi had 1,250 rape cases in 2021.
HOW CAN YOU FIGHT AGAINST IT?
Rape is not influenced by a person’s age, race, or socioeconomic standing. People can take action to adopt some preventative measures against rape.
- Offering everyone a session on safety advice.
- If necessary, give all relevant information to the police. To raise knowledge of what constitutes rape, appropriate and inappropriate touching of children, etc.
