Protests have taken place across India against the government’s decision to release 11 men jailed for life for the gang rape of a Muslim woman, Bilkis Bano. Fourteen members of his family were also killed during religious riots in Gujarat state in 2002.
The men were released after serving 15 years in prison. Men and women shouted slogans urging the government to reverse its decision to remove the rapists.
Indian film star and women’s rights activist Shabana Azmi told AFP news agency in the capital Delhi: “What happened with Bilkis Bano, what happened to his family, we cannot endure and watch this happen to our country. That’s why we will all come together and raise our voices.”
“This misogyny and patriarchy has grown so much and has been normalised to the point that, now, rape is normal for people,” said Aditi, a student protester.
Separately, more than 100 retired civil servants wrote to the chief justice of India to say the rapists’ release would have a chilling impact on the safety of all women.
The Gujarat government announced the decision to free the convicts on 15 August as India celebrated its 75th anniversary of independence. A video that has since gone viral showed the men lined up outside the Godhra jail while relatives gave them sweets and touched their feet to show respect.
Ms Bano called the decision to free the men “unjust” and said it had “shaken” her faith in justice.