Gurugram residents voice concerns for Bilkis Bano, stage protest march

Around 100 people from different walks of life held a protest against the remission of sentence given to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case by the Gujarat government at the Leisure Valley parking lot at Sector 29 on Sunday

Around 100 people from different walks of life held a protest against the remission of sentence given to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case by the Gujarat government at the Leisure Valley parking lot at Sector 29 on Sunday.

Gurugram, India - August 28: Residents of Gurugram held a protest against the Gujarat government’s decision to release all 11 men convicted of rape and murder in the Bilkis Bano case at Leisure Valley Park, Sector 29, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, August 28, 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times) **To go with Leena Dhankar's story**

Carrying posters and placards and raising slogans, residents expressed their anguish and said that on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians to respect women, 11 rapists were not only released from jail, but were garlanded and welcomed like heroes.

Dr Parul Sharma, who took part in the protest, said that every Indian woman deserves justice irrespective of her caste, religion or social status. “We want fast track courts for rape trials, an easier way for reporting rape and providing mental, physical and financial aid and rehabilitation to rape victims,” she said.

Dr Sarika Verma, another protestor, said that the criminals who have committed such heinous and hate crimes do not deserve to be released. “This sets a very scary precedent for the future,” she said.

The protesters said that they plan to take the campaign forward through social media and e-mails to the Supreme Court. A signed petition of the protesters will be submitted to the Gurugram deputy commissioner, President of India and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), they said.

Usha Saroha, another resident who took part in the protest, said that the kind of behaviour meted out to the rape convicts sends a signal to society that if you are from a certain political party or religion you can do any crime and get away with it.