Owaisi, Mahua Moitra flay BJP for ordering release of convicts in Bilkis Bano rape case

A Press Trust of India tweet on Wednesday morning quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating in his inaugural address as the Defence Expo 2022 in Gujarat that India has come a long way from releasing pigeons to releasing cheetahs.

Reacting to the tweet, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, “And rapists…” referring to the release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape case.

The Gujarat Government had submitted in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the order to release the Bilkis Bano case convicts, had come from Union Home Ministry.

The Gujarat Government also told the Supreme Court that though the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had opposed the release of the convicts on the grounds of good behaviour and that they had served their term. It has also come to light that Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, one of the convicts released had molested a woman in June 2020, when he was on parole.

Commenting on this, Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra sought the definition of "good behaviour". "Achhe din, achhe log. Beti ko molest karna bhi aapke liye 'good behaviour'?" Mahua tweeted. Lashing out at the BJP, she said the first item on the BJP's poll manifesto will be the promise to release all "sanskari" rapists and killers, on every national holiday if re-elected. The Trinamool MP earlier pointed out that the Centre allowed a bulk remission of all 11 instead of considering their cases individually. Mahua also highlighted that each of the convicts spent around four years out of jail on parole.