Bilkis Bano Rapists Brahmins: The sitting BJP MLA from Godhra has said that the 11 people convicted for the rape of Bilkis Bano and released after 15 years in jail by the Gujarat government were “Brahmins” and had “good manners”. Amid nationwide outrage over the men’s release, CK Raulji has come out in support of the men who were given sweets and garlanded after their release.
Bilkis Bano Rapists Brahmins
CK Raulji was one of the two BJP leaders who were part of the Gujarat government panel that unanimously decided to release the rapists. The decision was taken after one of the convicts approached the Supreme Court for exemption and the matter was handed over to the state government.
“I don’t know whether they have committed any crime or not. But there must be intent to commit the crime,” CK Raulji is heard telling the reporter from Mojo Story.
“They were brahmins and brahmins are known to have good manners. Maybe someone’s wrong intention was to surround and punish them,” the MLA said in the interview. He said that the conduct of the convicts was good during their stay in jail.
The rapists walked free on Independence Day, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of women’s empowerment from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Shortly after, videos surfaced of some right-wing groups giving him a warm welcome.
Under criticism, the Gujarat government defended its decision, saying that it considered the release plea in accordance with the 1992 policy, as directed by the Supreme Court, as it was in effect at the time of the conviction in 2008.
The move, in contravention of existing rules barring exemptions for rape and murder convicts, has left many stunned. Opposition parties have been vocal against it.
The video clip was tweeted by Y Satheesh Reddy, social media convener of Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
“He is a brahmin, a man of good manners. His conduct in jail was good”: BJP MLA #CKRauljiBJP now calls rapists ‘men of good sanskar’. This is the lowest a party can ever fall for!” his tweet read.
“He is a Brahmin, a man of good values. His conduct in jail was good”: BJP MLA #CKRaulji
BJP now calls rapists ‘Man of Good Sanskar’. This is the lowest a party can ever fall for! @KTRRTS@pbhushan1pic.twitter.com/iuOZ9JTbhh
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) August 18, 2022
Earlier, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi had tweeted saying that the release reflects the mindset of the BJP towards women.
“Unnao – Worked to save BJP MLA. Kathua – Rally in favor of rapists. Hathras – Govt in favor of rapists. Gujarat – Rapists’ release and respect. Support of criminals shows BJP’s petty mentality towards women You are not ashamed of such politics, Prime Minister,” his tweet read.
Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress tweeted that the nation “better decide whether Bilkis Bano is a woman or a Muslim”.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted that along with CK Raulji and Suman Chauhan, “another member (of the panel reviewing exemption appeals) was Mr. Murli Moolchandani who was the main prosecution witness in the Godhra train burning case.!”
When Bilkis Bano was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots, she was 21 years old and five months pregnant. Seven members of her family were murdered, including her three-year-old daughter, whose head was crushed with stones. Seven other relatives, whom they say were killed, were declared “missing”.
She made frequent house shifts, hiding for years, until the rapists went to jail. After release, he is too shocked to consider the next steps, to think about security or any legal remedy.
