Husband Yakub Patel Silent Pillar Of Support Behind Bilkis Bano

“These years have been full of despair, turbulence, uncertainty, and darkness, not just for Bilkis but also for her family, who first had to bear the trauma of a heinous crime committed against Bilkis and then had to struggle with a very hostile system acting against them," Bilkis Bano's husband, Yakub Patel, had shared with this reporter in an earlier conversation.

Bilkis Bano's pursuit of justice is truly exemplary. Through numerous courtroom hearings and several judgments in her favour, convicted rapists, Radheshyam Shah, Jaswant Chaturbhai Nai, Keshubhai Vadaniya, Bakabhai Vadaniya, Rajibhai Soni, Rameshbhai Chauhan, Shaileshbhai Bhatt, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Govindbhai Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, and Pradip Modhiya, who were free men until yesterday, will now be sent to jail after the Supreme Court revoked all the remissions previously granted by the Gujarat Government.

Bilkis’s enduring struggle serves as a poignant reminder that even in the darkest and most challenging times, the pursuit of justice should not waver. The concept of justice must persevere, even when hope for it appears scarce.

When asked about the motivational force behind facing such a long-drawn legal battle with unwavering resilience, Bano had told this reporter that her idea was not just to win the case but to ensure that people do not give up on the notion of justice.

“Nothing can truly compensate for what I have endured and the trauma I have lived through all these years. A jail term for the perpetrators may be a minimal punishment, but the greater victory I have achieved in my years of legal battle is that I stood up for justice.

“Despite a hostile system working against me and favouring the perpetrators, I never gave up on the idea of justice. The concept of justice is paramount, and there can be no compromise on that," she told this reporter in 2019.

“I have also fought such a long battle for all those who get exhausted by the system and believe that they will never get justice from it. My message to all those people is that they should not give up on the idea of justice.

“Justice as a philosophy should survive even if institutions meant to protect it are failing. Justice as an idea has to be preserved by the people,” she added.

Bano’s steadfast commitment to the idea of justice finds a profound resonance with the tireless efforts of civil rights stalwarts such as Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Mamie Till, and other champions of equality.

Much like Mamie Till, who faced insurmountable odds in her quest for justice following her son's brutal murder by Roy Bryant in America, Bano embodies a spirit of resilience and determination in the face of adversity.

Mamie Till's heartbreaking journey began when her son, Emmett Till, was brutally murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. In the aftermath of this tragic event, Mamie Till chose not to mourn in silence but instead brought global attention to the racial violence and injustice plaguing the nation. She insisted on an open-casket funeral for Emmett, allowing the world to witness the brutal reality of racial hatred.

Similar to Till, Bano, despite hailing from a conservative background, refused to remain silent about the heinous gang rape perpetrated against her. Instead of opting for anonymity, she exhibited unwavering determination and, with sheer grit, chose to share her story with the world.

In parallel to Till, who testified in court against her son's murderers, fully aware of the grim odds within a system dominated by whites, Bano embarked on her fight for justice. Despite facing numerous obstacles and hurdles, she resolved to confront the challenges head-on, demonstrating remarkable courage and resilience.

But Bilkis Bano was not alone in this struggle. Her husband Yakub Patel is a comrade of hers who overcame all patriarchal notions and continued to support and fight with her.

Fleeing their village in a truck, with 17 others, amid the 2002 communal violence in Gujarat, the couple had found themselves in the crosshairs of a mob, fueled by hateful slogans. The brutality of that day would forever alter their lives. Bilkis Bano, five months pregnant, was subjected to a horrific gangrape, and the mob callously claimed the lives of 14 people, including their three-year-old daughter, Saleha.

In the aftermath, Patel, grappling with grief, stumbled upon a glimmer of hope in a newspaper report. The mention of a woman named Bilkis Bani, living in a relief camp, led him to his wife, battered and scarred but miraculously alive.

At that moment, Patel made a solemn promise, a promise that would define their journey over the next 22 years: "I hugged her and promised that I would not let her live and struggle alone and would stand by her in the upcoming fight.”

In a society often bound by patriarchal norms and societal pressure, Patel defied expectations. His determination to stand by Bano went beyond the ordinary. When questioned about his motivations, he rejected the notion of abandonment: "I don’t think there is anything extraordinary in what I did... Any man doing that would be a coward, and thankfully I was not one."

Perhaps it is this promise by Patel and Bano’s unwavering faith in the idea and philosophy of justice that has ensured that all those who committed the heinous crime have finally been asked to go and stay where they are supposed to, despite being ‘protected’ by the powerful.

Following the Supreme Court's annulment of the remission granted by the Gujarat government to the 11 convicts, Bano through a statement made through her lawyer has said that it feels like a stone the size of a mountain has been lifted from my chest, and I can breathe again. This is what justice feels like.

Meanwhile out of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, nine are reportedly "missing." When reporters visited their listed addresses in two villages, they found most were absent.

Relatives were reluctant to provide information, and villagers claimed the convicts had locked their houses and left. These individuals, released on August 15, 2022, had been convicted in connection with the 2002 Gujarat communal riots. The situation raises concerns about the whereabouts of these convicts following the court's decision.

Reacting to this news, activists working with Bilkis Bano have expressed anguish and accused the government of handling the perpetrators with kid gloves. Speaking to The Citizen, Mujahid Nafees of the Minority Protection Committee from Ahmedabad said, “The government had already erred by granting remission to these convicts, and now they have openly defied the same government and judiciary by fleeing, showing utter disregard for the legal system.”

However, he added that it is too early to comment on how the government will deal with them now because it's only been two days since they disappeared, “We will be in a better position to comment on the government's role in the forthcoming days.