A witness in the Bilkis Bano case has written to the Chief Justice of India UU Lalit stating that he received death threats from one of the convicts and sought suitable legal proceedings.
In his letter written on September 19, the witness- Imtiaz Ghanchi – stated that on September 15, he was travelling from Singvad village to his residence in Devgadh Baria when he encountered convict Radheshyam Shah at the Piplod railway crossing.
Shah reportedly said to Ghanchi, “What did you get by calling me an accused, I’m out now.” Shah along with his driver laughed at Ghanchi as they walked away.
Apart from the CJI, Ghanchi has written to the Gujarat home secretary, the National Human Rights Commission, the Dahod district collector and the Dahod police.
During the 2002 Gujarat riots trial before the special Bombay CBI court, Ghanchi had recognised two convicts – Naresh Modhiya and Pradeep Modhiya.
He stated that he saw Naresh standing with a knife while Pradeep pelted stones chanting slogans near his residence in Randhikpur.
Scared, Ghanchi along with his mother and sister abandoned their house and took refugee in the home of one Lalu Madiya Parmar, where they stayed for two days. They saw their home burn in front of their eyes.
Bilkis Bano Case
Radheshyam Shah was one of the 11 convicts who were released from jail in Godhra on August 15 after they were granted remission by the Gujarat government.
Their release created anger throughout the country. What was bothering was the welcome the convicts received after their release. They were greeted with garlands and sweets from the members of the Hindutva community.
The 11 convicts were found guilty of mass murder and gang rape of family members of Bilkis, including her three-year-old daughter. They also raped Bilkis who was five months pregnant then.
Many politicians including KT Rama Rao (KTR), K Kavitha, Mahua Moitra, Assaduddin Owaisi, Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Chidambaram, etc condemned the BJP-led Gujarat state government’s decision.
Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra moved the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday challenging the decision. She filed a PIL (public interest litigation) through advocate Shadan Farasat raising concerns over the safety of Bilkis Bano and her family.
