Tag: bilkis bano

All vehicular entrances to Naroda and Naroda Patiya were barricaded on Friday. Police presence in these areas of Ahmedabad, which saw the worst of the 2002 Gujarat riots, is usually associated with something ominous. But, on Friday, it was for a fun fair on the streets of Naroda, where children jumped on trampolines, a young girl walked on a tightrope mesmerizing onlookers, while adults bought various items from stalls set up on the pavement. Amid a raging controversy over the release of 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, life continued as normal in Naroda and Naroda Patia — where an armed mob of about 5,000 killed more than 97 people during the 2002 riots. Muslim families in the neighborhood were angered by the Gujarat government's decision to pardon 11 accus...