‘All I wanted was justice, not revenge,’ says Bilkis Bano

Bikis, then 19, was one of 17 people who were attacked by a mob on March 3, 2002 in Gujarat’s Dahod district at the height of violence in the state. She was gang-raped and left for dead by the miscreants.

Days after the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty in the Nirbhaya case, Bilkis Bano, a gang rape survivor from the 2002 Gujarat riots said she wants “justice not revenge”. Addressing the media in the capital, a resilient Bano said “My faith in justice has been restored with the judgment but it should not take so long.”

Bilkis Bano, one of the survivors of the Gujarat riot victims, addresses a press conference in New Delhi on May 8. (AP Photo)

At 19, Bano was brutally gan-graped while 5 months pregnant and left to die. 14 members of her family, including her 3-year-old daughter were killed in front of her eyes in the post-Godhra riots.

15 years later, the Bombay High Court on Thursday upheld the life sentence of the 11 accused as well as convicting 5 policemen and 2 doctors for covering up the heinous crime. They rejected the CBI plea for death penalty for 3 main accused.

Bilkis Bano along with husband Yakub Rasool during the press conference.

Vijay Hiremath, her lawyer said, “I could not sleep for five days when I first read her testimony.” He added that their next priority would be to ensure that the accused did not get out on parole, which exposes the family to threats and intimidation.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, her husband, Yakub recalled living in fear, “We never knew if we were safe, we would double check if the door was latched at night. We used to carry our little children to the court for the hearings.” Bano, often had to breastfeed her daughter in between breaks in the court. Yakub, who lost his livelihood, has been doing odd jobs to support the family. They now hope to start a new chapter of their life, without fear.

He added, “My eldest daughter wants to become a lawyer so she can help other women like Bilkis get justice.”