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| Bilkis Bano's quest for justice |
| Three years ago the Supreme Court intervened to ensure her case was transferred out of Gujarat to Mumbai.
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| INDIA
, 6-November-2007
0:18:8 AM |
| As the storm rages on the Tehelka expose on the Gujarat riots the focus could soon be on another battle for justice - the case of Bilkis Bano, who witnessed a group of rioters butcher her family before they went on to gang rape her.
Three years ago the Supreme Court intervened to ensure her case was transferred out of Gujarat to Mumbai.
Now, as her case reaches a critical stage Bilkis breaks her silence. She spoke to NDTV in an undisclosed location in Gujarat to describe the threats and dangers, she faced for daring to tell the truth.
''The pain in the past five years has been endless. We have had to shift our home time and time again,'' said Bilkis Bano.
She is one of the faces of the Gujarat riots but for Bilkis Bano to give an interview is rare.
Bilkis is under threat because her case is of immense legal significance.
She was five months pregnant in 2002 when she was brutally raped and saw 14 members of her family being butchered by the same mob that raped her.
But Bilkis has not given up the fight telling her story before the court despite the threats.
''They killed 14 of my family and even snatched by two-year-old daughter from me and smashed her on the stone. I kept telling them to stop, reminding them that they were from my village but they wouldn't stop. They raped me repeatedly,'' said Bilkis.
Because of her testimony it's the one of the few cases in the riots where the prosecution has managed to get 12 of the accused, including six policemen, behind bars even as the case continues.
''When I reached the police I thought I would get support but instead I got threats. They told me that if I named people they would give me a poison injection to kill me,'' said Bilkis.
But it's been a terrifying journey - threats, dodgy medical check ups and the Gujarat government closing her case.
Except that the evidence was just too powerful the Human Rights Commission heard her case.
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