Last week, we had been driving the whole day, off road. We did some trekking too in leech infested areas. We walked into the forests of the Western Ghats. We sighted jackals, civet cats, brown fish owl, pug marks of Gaur, banded geckos, tree frogs, gliding frogs, bioluminescent fungi, glow worms, fireflies, Travancore wolf snake and more. We explored so many pristine forest areas. With lush landscapes, ferns, cane, palm, Matti. But suddenly in certain sections, there were no trees, just the hill soil dug up and levelled. No tree stumps were visible too. Possibly cleared instantly, akin to a crime scene wiped clean by very shrewd criminals. We could see many large tall metal towers for the high tension electric lines already installed. Amidst the background of felled trees and cleared red ground. Red like blood. Violated. Raped.
It wouldn’t be surprising that this location will soon see a ceremony held to celebrate the installation of towers with garlanding and lofty speeches by many thereby ‘invisibilising’ the violence and crime against nature.
Near the abandoned containers close to the location of the towers, as makeshift staff stations, there were some newspapers lying around. The headlines caught my eye. Shiddi Naik ‘murder’ case closure due to lack of evidence. This has been haunting us for months and years. Another article, reporting yet another rape in Goa was falling on deaf years. Just like this paper, strewn into the wilderness. Lost, soon to be forgotten. As each day progresses, we seemed to be getting numbed and unperturbed by the increasing violence and crime on children, girls and women.
Today we are staring at another instance of ‘invisibilising’ violence and crime by men. ‘rapists.’ Bilkis ‘rapists’, all 11 of them, after being pardoned having served the mandatory 14-year life imprisonment, were ceremoniously felicitated! It’s been 17 years of living this horrific tragedy and trauma for a woman.
For those who do not know Bilkis’s living nightmare, she and her family were among the many victims of the 2002-post Godhra riots in Gujarat. There were many horrific atrocities but the most barbarous was Bilkis’s case. After the Sabarmati Express fire in Godhra and the ensuing violence erupting at many places, Bilkis who was then 19 years old, fled her village with 15 other family members including a pregnant cousin, younger siblings, nieces and nephews. She too was 5 months pregnant and also had her three-year-old daughter, Saleha with her. They decided to escape their village in Gujarat after the rapists had wreaked havoc on Bakr-Id day setting fire to houses and robbing belongings of the Muslims in Radhikpur village. Bilkis was in the kitchen making lunch. They all just rushed out without wearing any slippers or carrying any clothes or other belongings. Would anybody stay back in this scenario? No.
The ‘rapists’ along with others in a mob of around 30 armed with sticks, sickles and swords attacked Bilkis and her family. Bilkis, her mother and 3 women were raped and brutally assaulted. Eight Muslims from the 17 in her group were found dead, six were missing and only Bilkis, a man and a three-year-old (not Saleha) survived the attack. Bilkis was raped by Jaswantbhai Nai, Govindbhai and Naresh Kumar Mordhiya (who died during the course of the trial) while Shailesh Bhatt killed 3-yr-old Saleha by ‘smashing’ her on the ground. Bilkis was unconscious and regained her consciousness after nearly 3 hours. She borrowed clothes from an Adivasi woman, was accompanied by a home guard who took her to the police station where she registered a complaint. From here she faced many more challenges first with the head constable Somabhai Gori who suppressed material facts and wrote a distorted and shortened version. Besides Jaswant, Govind, Naresh and Shailesh, the ‘rapists’ included Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhat and Ramesh Chandana. They were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Their release from prison on approval of an application of remission during the celebration of 75 years of India’s independence and a hero’s welcome, has left many shaken, numb and the feeling of a grave miscarriage of justice.
Within a few days, 1.5 lakh signatories appealed for justice to Bilkis Bano in response to the release of the 11 convicts. The online petition on change.org needed only 25,000 signatures. Yes we are not celebrating ‘Rapists.’ Nor are we willing to give them a hero’s welcome. We are also not celebrating violence and crime against women, against any human. Period.
The release of the ‘rapists’ raises key questions. Wither justice? Women are still not safe in India. What freedom are we celebrating? What independence are we celebrating? What woman hood or motherhood are we celebrating? What girl child days are we celebrating? Wither child safety? Wither safety to our women?
Don’t the ‘Rapists’ have a mother, sister, wife or daughter? Would they have meted the same violence on their wives, sisters, mothers and daughters?
After spending so many years in prison, how do they feel now? Aren’t they haunted by what they did to innocent women and children? How will they face the women and children at their home, in their neighbourhood, in their village, in their locality? Will their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters feel safe around or near them?
India is not safe for women and the girl child. What should we do about this? Educate the girl child or humanise the boy child and the ‘rapists’ of India.
(Tallulah D’Silva is an architect and silver awardee of the Golden Door Award 2020 for truth and integrity)
