Activist Sandeep Pandey Released From Detention, To March for Bilkis Bano

The police detained activist Sandeep Pandey and three others ahead of a march planned on Monday, 26 September, to express solidarity with Bilkis Bano.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Sandeep Pandey)

Social activist Sandeep Pandey and three others, who were detained ahead of a march planned to express solidarity with Bilkis Bano on Monday, 26 September, have now been released by the Godhra Police.

The police is set to leave them at Sevaliya from where they plan to take the yatra forward.

Pandey and other activists were set to participate in the march on foot called, "Apologising to Bilkis Bano."

It was scheduled to be taken out from her native village in Randhikpur in Gujarat's Dahod district on Monday, 26 September, and it was to conclude in Ahmedabad on 4 October under the banner of "Hindu-Muslim Ekta Samiti."

Pandey was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2002 in the emergent leadership category.

A B-division police station officer said, "Sandeep Pandey and three others were detained from Godhra (in Panchmahal district) at around 10:30 pm on Sunday. They are still in detention."

The Hindu-Muslim Ekta Samiti released a statement condemning the action taken by the police.

The Samiti said that the march was organised to apologise to Bilkis Bano after the government of Gujarat released 11 convicts in her case under its remission policy on 15 August this year.

The convicts were serving a life sentence in the Godhra sub-jail for gang-raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven members of her family in a post-Godhra riots case.

"We only wish to apologise to Bilkis for whatever has happened to her and wish such heinous acts do not happen in an otherwise peaceful state of Gujarat."

Hindu-Muslim Ekta Samiti

Bilkis Bano Case

Bilkis Bano's family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village in Dahod district on 3 March 2002. Members of the mob gang-raped Bano, who was five months pregnant at the time, and killed seven members of her family.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai sentenced 11 accused in the case to life imprisonment for murder and gang rape on 21 January 2008. Its conviction was upheld by the Bombay High Court soon after.

The 11 convicts served over 15 years in jail, and one of them approached the Supreme Court with a plea for his premature release.

The government of Gujarat later issued an order to release the 11 convicts as per its remission policy, and they were released from jail on 15 August 2022.

(With inputs from PTI.)