Media Release
Date January 25, 2008
Statement on Bilkis Bano Judgment by Concerned Citizens
The judgment in case of Bilkis Bano comes as a great relief in the times when justice is being denied to large section of society, more so to the victims of communal violence. A pregnant women who was gang raped, who witnessed the brutal killing of her family members, stood firm with grit and determination to seek justice with the help of civil right group of Gujarat. Bilkis herself deserves lot of praise for her courage. The civil rights group based in Gujarat, which took up the battle, needs to be appreciated for the yeomen service it has done in the cause of justice in Gujarat.
We welcome this judgment whole heartedly and hope that similar justice is also given to innumerable victims of the Gujarat carnage. While the Bilkis case shows justice is possible it also shows how difficult it is to get. While it shows that elements of democracy are still alive, it also shows how much compromised they are becoming with the ascendance of communal mind set of section of people and with the communalization of our state apparatus, police, bureaucracy, judiciary and polity. In a way the whole episode is a mirror to what is happening in Gujarat. The state sponsored pogrom in Gujarat has left the civic society fractured along religious lines. The person and party who led the carnage have got approval from a section of society, as the victory of Modi in 2007 elections has shown. This erosion of democratic norms and justice delivery system is a matter of grave concern to all of us.
While Modi-BJP have already pushed their divisive politics deep down in the society, it is imperative that we restore back the values the values of democracy, pluralism, and diversity, the one's which are the base of our freedom movement. It is necessary that the norms of Indian Constitution, which seem to have been damaged severely in different parts of the country, more so in Gujarat, are restored back.
We urge upon all the concerned authorities to take up the cases of innumerable other victims of Gujarat carnage, reinvestigate if necessary, and set up special court to try the culprits, including Narendra Modi, whose role in the carnage was the most dangerous of all. The victims of Gujarat carnage are feeling helpless and are crying out for help for getting them justice, for getting them rehabilitated, for getting them the equal citizenship rights, which are due to all of us.
Prof. K.N.Pannikar, Ex Vice Chancelleor, Kaladi Uni, Kerala
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Chairman CSSS
Prof. Ghanshyam Shah, Social scientist
Dr. Ram Puniyani, Sec. All India Secular Forum
Digant Oza, Journalist
Rohit Prajapati and Trupti Shah, PUCL Vadodara
Irfan Engineer, Director Institute of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Uttam Parmar, Social activist
Harsh Mander, writer, social activist
Ajit Muricken, Director, Vikas Adhyan Kendra, Mumbai
Shabnam Hashmi, Social activist, member, National Integration Council
[Released from: 23, Canning Lane, New Delhi-110001, Tel-23070722/ 40]
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