We had been victims of politics, says Bilkis case convict day after being freed
A day after he and ten others had been launched from jail within the case associated to the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and homicide of her relations in the course of the 2002 Gujarat riots, convict Shailesh Bhatt claimed that they had been “victims of politics.” Bhatt, 63, who mentioned he was a neighborhood functionary of the ruling BJP when he was arrested, and others together with his brother and co-convict Mitesh left for his or her village Singor in Gujarat’s Dahod district after strolling out of the Godhra jail.
Sentenced to life imprisonment, they had been launched on Monday below the Gujarat authorities’s remission coverage after finishing greater than 15 years in jail.
Bilkis Bano case: 11 lifers convicted for Gujarat riots gangrape, homicide let loose in Godhra; Congress calls BJP govt order ‘unprecedented’ pic.twitter.com/b6bY503sC3
Their reception on the village on Tuesday was muted and there was no seen celebration.
“Singor is a small village. All of the convicts belong to this village. We had been all victims of politics,” mentioned Shailesh Bhatt, chatting with reporters.
He was a farmer and in addition an office-bearer of the district unit of the BJP whereas his brother labored as a clerk at Panchmahals Dairy once they had been arrested, he mentioned.
“We had been arrested in 2004 and remained in jail for greater than 18 years. It feels good to be dwelling with my relations. All people is comfortable that we’re again. My son was eight or 9 years outdated then, now he’s an grownup and works with Panchmahal Dairy. I’m comfortable for him,” Bhatt added.
His mom died when he was in jail in 2007.
The court docket had granted him interim bail to carry out her final rites, he mentioned.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years outdated and 5 months pregnant when she was raped whereas fleeing the violence that broke out within the aftermath of the Sabarmati Categorical prepare burning incident at Godhra in 2002.
Seven members of her household had been murdered.
Radheshyam Shah, one other convict, had asserted after his launch on Monday that they had been all harmless.
“We had been framed up due to our perception in sure ideology,” he had claimed earlier than the media.
One among them died in the course of the trial whereas a few others misplaced their wives throughout their incarceration, he mentioned.