The Ahmedabad police on Friday detained over 50 volunteers from several organisations and concerned citizens for demonstrating a protest against the remission of 11 persons , who were convicted for murder of 14 persons and gang-rape of Bilkis Bano during the 2002 post-Godhra riots. The police said that the protesters didn't have permission for the gathering.
Organisations such as Ahmedabad Women's Action Group, All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan, Gujarat Mahila Manch, among others, and a group of about 50 people, mostly women, gathered near H K Arts College on Ashram Road to protest the remission of 11 convicts.
Soon after the protesters took out posters and placards demanding to "resend Bilkis Bano convicts to jail", the police personnel present on the spot took them into the vans and detained them on the ground that they didn't have police permission to hold such an event. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera was also among the protesters who were detained.
A day earlier, over 6,000 concerned citizens released a statement against the release of 11 convicts. Demanding revocation of the pre-mature release of the convicts, the groups made an appeal to the Supreme Court of India to "undo this grave miscarriage of justice."
Civil society groups such as Saheli Women’s Resource Centre, Gamana Mahila Samuha, Bebaak Collective, All India Progressive Women’s Association, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch and Forum Against Oppression of Women released a statement on Thursday. It said: "The remission of sentences for the 11 convicted of gang-rape and mass murder will have a chilling effect on every rape victim who is told to trust the system, seek justice, have faith."
It further added, “Remission of these sentences is not only immoral and unconscionable, it violates the State of Gujarat’s own existing remission policy…” and “the guidelines issued by the Central government to States on a prisoner's release policy to coincide with Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav which also clearly states that among the categories of prisoners NOT to be granted Special Remission are those convicted of rape."
Meanwhile, three Congress MLAs from the state also wrote a letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu requesting her to revoke the decision of the state government. "Three Gujarat MLAs, Gyasuddin Shaikh, Md Javed Pirzada, and Imran Khedawala, appeal to you to intervene in this matter and instruct the union home ministry and Gujarat government to rescind this shameful decision," it said.