Welcoming Bilkis Bano's rapists a slap on face of society: TRS MLC Kavitha

Hyderabad: TRS MLC K. Kavitha on 18 August said the welcome shown to Bilkis Bano's rapists after they were released from jail is a slap on the face of a just society.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, Kavitha said, "The welcome shown to the rapists and murderers after getting released from jail by some people who follow a certain ideology is a slap on the face of a just society. It is imperative to stop this extremely dangerous tradition before it takes the form of a legacy."

On 15 August, the BJP-led Gujarat government released all 11 convicts who were sentenced to life for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 riots. The released prisoners were reportedly welcomed with sweets and garlands by their relatives and members of an organisation.

Kavitha further said that the decision to release the culprits involved in heinous crimes like rape and murder on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day has tarnished the divinity of the day.

Their release took place despite the fact that the Central government has sent guidelines that explicitly mentioned that rapists and prisoners with life sentences should not be pardoned, she added.

"The BJP government in Gujarat has displayed insensitivity by releasing the rapists of the then five-month pregnant Bilkis Bano and the murder of her three-year old child. This is not only against the law but stands against humanity. Being a woman, I can feel the pain and fear experienced by Bilkis Bano," tweeted Kavitha.

She requested the Supreme Court intervene and take immediate action. "This shameful decision must be withdrawn immediately so that citizens don't lose their faith in law and there are no more cases like the Nirbhaya case and no lady has to go through what Bilkis Bano suffered," she wrote.