Ahmedabad: Days after the Gujarat government cited 'good behaviour' as the reason for the early release of the 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano case, Bano's husband has come forward narrating how terrified he is of what the future might hold for him and his family. Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Yakub Mansoori -- the man whose pregnant wife was gang-raped, and his family killed by these 11 men during the Godhra riots in February 2002 -- said he wants nothing but the convicts to be sent back to jail.
"We are all not just sad but also extremely scared that these men who committed such heinous crimes will now be able to roam freely. We used to live in fear even when they were out on parole. Now they are free. We are terrified of what might happen to our family," said Yakub, with both fear and resentment quite visible on his face.
Asked if the convicts have threatened him in the past while they were out on parole, Yakub answered assertively. "All of us, including the eye-witnesses who were ready to back us in the case, have been threatened several times by these men while they were out on parole. And they have been granted parole very frequently," he said, adding that the men have outstayed their paroles multiple times, without consequences.
Emphasizing that he hopes that the government takes back its decision, and the judiciary comes to his and his family's rescue, Yakub said, "We want the government to take back the release orders and send them back to jail. We also have hopes from the judicial system." With his faith in the system on the verge of getting entirely shattered, Yakub said his family has struggled and fought tirelessly, and for long enough to deserve justice for the heinous crimes his family was subjected to.
"We don't want to spend the rest of our lives in this undying fear. We have received threats in the past and we are even more vulnerable to them now. There is no other way than sending the convicts back to jail if our fear is to be pacified and our struggles rewarded," Yakub said, clinging to whatever hope he may have still procured in his spirit. Besides these demands, Yakub has also filed an RTI at the Panchmahal Collector Office, asking for the legitimate details of the grounds on which the convicts have been released.
