Hundreds of people rallied across several Indian cities on Saturday to protest the decision to free 11 men serving life sentences for raping a Muslim woman during religious riots in 2002.
Protesters in New Delhi chanted slogans and demanded that the government of the western state of Gujarat reverse the decision to prematurely release the 11 men, singing songs in solidarity with the victim.
Similar protests were also held in several other states in India.
The 11 men, released on a suspended sentence on August 15, as India celebrated 75 years of independence, had been sentenced to life in prison in 2008 for rape, murder and illegal assembly.
The victim, now 40, recently said the Gujarat state government’s decision had shaken her confidence in justice.
The woman was pregnant when she was brutally gang-raped during the 2002 religiously motivated riots in Gujarat, which claimed more than 1,000 victims, mostly Muslims, who were massacred in one of the most violent incidents in India since the independence from the UK. in 1947.
Seven members of the woman’s family, including her 3-year-old daughter, were also killed during the unrest.
“The entire country must demand an answer directly from the prime minister of this country,” said Kavita Krishnan, an activist who spoke out against the decision to release the 11 men.
Authorities in Gujarat, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party holds power, said the convicts’ application for parole was accepted because they had served more than 14 years in prison.
The men were eligible for release under a 1992 ruling that was in effect at the time of their conviction, authorities said.
A measure adopted in 2014 by the federal government prohibits the release of those convicted of certain crimes, including rape and murder.
The 2002 religious riots have since been a political problem for Modi, who was Gujarat’s top elected official at the time, accused of encouraging bloodshed.
Modi has repeatedly denied having played any role in the events and the Supreme Court of India has concluded that it has found no evidence to prosecute the now prime minister.
Source: Observadora
