Shabana Azmi on released convicts in Bilkis Bano case: ‘Are these sanskari men?’

On Saturday, ex-MP and actress Shabana Azmi along with students and women’s groups gathered at Jantar Mantar and protested against the release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The veteran actress broke down and said, “Ulti aati hai mujhe. Yeh sanskari log hai? And someone from the ruling dispensation is making this remark!” Shabana Azmi shared the video of her statement and requested netizens to support her in the Bilkis Bano case as she wrote, “Demand Justice for #Bilkis Bano. Put back into jail the 11 convicts who gangraped her her mother and Sister and killed her 3 yr old daughter in front of her eyes . They were released prematurely and then heralded as heroes with garlands and sweets. Have we no humanity left? What a travesty of justice.”

BJP MLA CK Raulji (member of committee that recommended the remission) had said that the convicts are from Brahmin families with good sanskar. All India Progressive Women’s Association secretary Kavita Krishnan said, the accused “have been given a reward, not a remission”. “For doing this, they were garlanded and sweets were distributed,” she said. Azmi said, “How has this happened? How did the Gujarat government give this order? We want to know this… as women and as Indians, we have to show that this cannot be tolerated.” In an open letter to the Chief Justice of India, 134 retired bureaucrats have urged the Supreme Court to “rectify” this “horrendously wrong decision” and wrote, “The case was a rare one because not only were the rapists and murderers punished, but so, too, were the policemen and doctors who tried to tamper with and erase evidence to protect the accused and cover up the crime.” Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram