Bilkis Bano case convicts release with eye on elections: Congress
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Oct, 2022 11:52 AM
New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Congress on Tuesday questioned the Union government for the preferential treatment given to the Bilkis Bano case convicts, alleging that it has been done for elections.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the Gujarat government affidavit "proves beyond a shadow of doubt that the release was a political decision made with not just the knowledge but the concurrence of those in the highest echelons of power in the Modi government".
He questioned why the Modi Government, despite the objections of senior officials, sought to grant preferential treatment to individuals convicted of such a reprehensible, horrific, and heinous crime.
"Has the Modi government decided to pardon all convicted rapists and child murders who have served a certain period? With what face will the Modi government now oppose demands for parole which cite this precedent? Will such treatment be granted to all individuals who are accused of heinous offences? Or was this a limited time offer contingent on the upcoming elections?" he asked.
The party said that the grant of premature release to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case is "a stain on this government'ss legacy that will never wash off".
"It is repugnant, reprehensible, and revolting, that an elected government in a democracy chose to release these convicts in such a cavalier manner," Singhvi added.
He said the revelations came to light when the Gujarat government, in its reply in the ongoing Bilkis Bano case before the Supreme Court, revealed that the Centre had given its "concurrence and approval" for the release of the individuals convicted of gang rape and the murder of a 3.5-year-old child and various members of her family.
"When the release was ordered on August 15, 2022, the Modi government had maintained a studied and deliberate silence on the release of the criminals, an action which has since drawn legitimate criticism the world over and exposed our system to widespread shame and ridicule," Singhvi said.
He said that there are many compromises in politics, "but the BJP has made the greatest compromise of all; A sacrifice of the last shred of conscience that separated them from those craven and venal elements who prize solely their own political survival over all else".
The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt). His party - Punjab Lok Congress - though had failed to get even a single seat during the assembly elections.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.
Balkaur Singh, whose son was shot dead in daylight on May 29 close to his Moosa village in Punjab on May 28, had complained of uneasiness on Thursday night following which he was admitted to a private hospital in Patiala from where he was shifted to the PGIMER here.
Majithia told the media here that this was also necessary because the AAP government had neither made the FIR registered in this case public even after 24 hours, nor taken any action against any BJP leader or middlemen involved.
The matter came to the fore after the victim narrated the ordeal to her parents who rescued her and later approached the Women police station at Gurugram's Sector-51 and registered a case against the accused on Wednesday. The victim told the police that she had met Pooja at a Gurugram mall a month ago. Pooja had offered her a job at a doctor's clinic.
The local people and Bishal's family members claimed that he was found with multiple wounds on Wednesday. It is alleged that Bishal was killed for not agreeing to convert to Christianity in order to marry his tribal girlfriend. Though the police are yet to confirm whether the youth was killed or committed suicide, they have arrested five people in connection with the case.
