Shabana Azmi breaks down as she speaks about release of 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano gang rape case: ‘Deeply ashamed’

Actor Shabana Azmi welled up as she spoke about how ‘stunned’ she was after the release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case.

In a new interview, Shabana said that she is ‘deeply ashamed’ over the recent development in the case. She added that after the convicts were released, she expected ‘an outpouring of outrage’ but was surprised. Shabana also said that there isn’t enough understanding of the ‘injustice and horror of what has happened’.

The 11 men, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the gang rape of Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the murder of seven members of her family, walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They served more than 15 years in jail.

“I have no words (for Bilkis Bano) except that I am deeply ashamed. I have no other words. This woman has had such a huge tragedy. And yet she didn’t lose courage. She fought all the way.

She got these people convicted and, like her husband says, just when she’s about to bring her life together, this great travesty of justice happens…Shouldn’t we be shouting from the rooftops so that justice is done to this person? And the women who are feeling unsafe in this country, women who face the threat of rape every day – shouldn’t they get some sense of security?” Shabana also wiped her eyes as she spoke about Bilkis.

She added, “Takes me completely by surprise because when this happened I just expected there would be such an outpouring of outrage. I waited two days, three days, there was such little visibility in the media, in any kind of discussion.

One day I was sitting with some people…the Bilkis Bano case was talked about. They said, ‘But what’s the big deal? They have already served the sentence, ab kya shor machana (why create a fuss now)?’ They weren’t even fully cognizant of what had happened, they weren’t even aware that these 11 convicts had been released. I was just stunned that this could happen. Even now I think there is not enough understanding of the injustice and horror of what has happened.”

She added that the convicts were felicitated and laddoos were distributed after their release. The actor asked what’s the ‘signal we are giving to society and women’.

The Supreme Court had directed the Gujarat government to look into the issue of remission of the sentence of one of the convicts. A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 accused to life imprisonment. Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court.

On March 3, 2002, Bilkis Bano’s family was reportedly attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village in Limkheda taluka of Dahod district in Gujarat. Bilkis, who was five months pregnant at that time, was gang raped and seven members of her family were killed.