Responding to a query, Bilkis said the frequent flip-flop of Zaheera Sheikh in the Best Bakery case had “hurt the fight of innocent victims of Gujarat riots and brought a bad name to the community.”

In the Bilkis case, 12 persons, including the policeman, were convicted by the court on January 18. Seven were acquitted by the court due to lack of evidence, while one died during the course of trial.

The court held that Jaswantbai Nai, Govindbhai Nai, Naresh Kumar Mordhiya (deceased) raped Bilkis while Shailesh Bhatt killed her daughter, Saleha, by “smashing” her on the ground.

The others sentenced to life in jail are Radheshyam Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Vohania, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Nitesh Bhatt and Ramesh Chandana. Somabhai Gori, head constable of Limkheda police station, got three years in prison.

Despite being mere bystanders to the crime (excluding Gori), these accused were convicted for rape and murder, as being part of “an unlawful assembly” distributes the liability of the crime, the court said.

On February 28, 2002, after violence erupted following the Sabarmati Express fire in Godhra, Bilkis, who was five months pregnant and a resident of Radhikpur in Dahod district, Gujarat, fled her village with her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Saleha, and 15 other family members. They decided to escape after the accused wreaked havoc in her home town on Bakr-Id day, setting fire to houses and looting belongings of Muslims.

On March 3, 2002, the family reached Chapparwad village and took shelter in a field connected to a dirt-track going towards Pannivella village. According to the chargesheet, about 20-30 people, including the 12 accused, armed with sickles, swords and sticks attacked Bilkis and her family.

... contd.