Topic: Bilkis Bano

Bilkis Bano has approached the Supreme Court challenging the release of 11 Hindutva men convicted of gang-raping her and killing seven members of her family in the 2002 Gujarat Muslim genocide.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Saturday the BJP is a party that promotes those linked to genocide convicts in an apparent reference to BJP candidate CK Raulji, who was a part of a panel that granted remission to 11 life-term convicts in the Bilkis Bano case and a Gujarat genocide convict Manoj Kukrani who is active in BJP election campaign.

"When an AAP leader (Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia) was asked for his comments on Bilkis Bano by a mediaperson, he said, ‘not Bilkis Bano, we will talk about schools and classrooms.' Is Bilkis Bano a Muslim issue? It is India’s issue, an issue of justice, an issue of women….” asked Owaisi MP who is on a two-day visit to the poll bounded Gujarat.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Modi supports rapists in reality even though he talks about respecting women from the Red Fort. Gandhi’s remarks come a day after the Gujarat BJP government disclosed that the Union government approved the release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape case.

The Gujarat BJP government has told the Supreme Court that it decided to release the 11 Hindu men who are the convicts in the Bilkis Bano tape case on completion of their 14 years sentence as their "behaviour was found to be good" and after approval from the Union government.

Ramon Magsaysay award recipient Sandeep Pandey and others who were scheduled to participate in the foot march, titled 'Apologising to Bilkis Bano' on Monday were detained by Gujarat Police on Sunday night.