C K Raulji was one of the two BJP leaders who were part of the Gujarat government panel that unanimously decided to release the rapists.
Mumbai: The Gujarat government recently freed 11 men who had spent almost 15 years in prison after being found guilty of raping Bilkis Bano. According to the BJP’s sitting MLA from Godhra, these individuals are “Brahmins” and have “excellent sanskaar.” C K Raulji has supported the men, who were feted with sweets and garlands after their release, in the face of widespread outcry over their release.
One of the two BJP leaders on the Gujarat government panel that unanimously decided to free the rapists was CK Raulji. The choice was made after one of the prisoners requested remission in an appeal to the Supreme Court, which then forwarded the case to the state government.
CK Raulji spoke to Mojo Story and said, “I don’t know whether they committed any crime or not. But there has to be intention of committing a crime.They were Brahmins and Brahmins are known to have good sanskaar. It might have been someone’s ill intention to corner and punish them.”
“The convicts had good conduct while they were in jail”, he further added.
On Independence Day, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about about women empowerment in his speech, the rapists were allowed to roam free. Soon after, videos showing a right-wing group giving them a warm welcome surfaced.
The Gujarat administration defended its choice in the face of intense criticism, stating that it did so in accordance with a Supreme Court-directed 1992 policy because that was in place at the time of the conviction in 2008. Many people are horrified by the action, which was taken in defiance of current regulations that forbid remission for murder and rape prisoners. The opposing parties have made their opposition known.
Y Satish Reddy, the social media convenor of Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi had tweeted the video clip and mentioned, “They are Brahmins, Men of Good Sanskaar. Their conduct in jail was good”: BJP MLA #CKRaulji BJP now terms rapists as ‘Men of Good Sanskar’. This is the lowest a party can ever stoop!”
“They are Brahmins, Men of Good Sanskaar. Their conduct in jail was good": BJP MLA #CKRaulji
BJP now terms rapists as ‘Men of Good Sanskar’. This is the lowest a party can ever stoop! 🙏 @KTRTRS @pbhushan1 pic.twitter.com/iuOZ9JTbhh
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) August 18, 2022
The political parties are criticizing BJP for this move.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months’ pregnant when she was gangraped during the 2002 Gujarat riots when seven members of her family were murdered. She spent years in hiding, shifting homes frequently, until the rapists were put behind bars. After the release, she has been too shell-shocked to consider the next steps, to take thought of safety or any legal recourse. She has asked the Gujarat government to reverse its decision and “ensure that my family and I are kept safe”.
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