SPLIT VERDICT

The single-lane road leading to Randhikpur is flanked by lofty nilgiri and sag trees and maize farms. It8217;s a smooth drive but our driver had to watch out for the overcrowded jeeps 8212; heads and arms stuck out dangerously. The maize fields soon give way to a hilly range and the nilgiri trees to dense thickets studded with rivulets.

The marketplace at the village is like any other 8212; a constant bustle as tribals from the interiors bargain hard for their grocery. Still no signs of this being the site of one of the worst massacres of the 2002 riots. But that8217;s till you mention Bilkis Bano. All the 12 convicted in the case are from Randhikpur and the village displays an uneasy chauvinism while defending them.

Nobody talks of Bilkis and her family but readily talk of how the convictions have been unfair. Vipul Shah, a villager, said, 8220;The media has to be blamed for the injustice meted to the 12 men from our village. They didn8217;t bother to talk to the other side and bring out the real facts. What happened to Bilkis wasn8217;t fair but this isn8217;t fair too.8221;

The villagers blame the CBI for its 8220;faulty8221; investigation. Lila, wife of Jaswant Nai, one of two main accused who got convicted with his nephew Govind Nai, said, 8220;We sheltered 10 Muslims in our house for four days and made sure they had police escort when they left for Limkheda during the 2002 flare-up. But see what are we left with. We sheltered Firoz Sattar but he ended up being the CBI8217;s main witness.8221;

On the same road as Nai8217;s house are a few Muslim homes 8212; all locked. We stopped a few children to ask where the occupants were. 8220;They deliberately stay away to earn sympathy to show their lives are at risk,8221; said a 12-year-old 8212; an unnerving reminder of how Randhikpur8217;s communal wounds have only become deeper.

Jamnadas Shah, who owns a hardware shop, said, 8220;The entire village was shocked when the CBI picked them up. Most of them are their families8217; breadwinners and are respected names in the village. Someone seems to have trapped them.8221;

Ramila Chandana is the sarpanch. Her husband Ramesh Chandana has been convicted for two terms. Ramila says her responsibilities have doubled. 8220;Besides the village, I have to look after the farm, his aged parents and our three children. We were in Gandhinagar on the day the incident happened,8221; she said.

Binta Joshi, wife of convict Bipin Joshi, said, 8220;My father-in-law Kanu Joshi is 90. He had a stroke when he heard of my husband8217;s arrest. We haven8217;t told him of the court order. He was a doctor and had even prescribed medicines to Bilkis8217;s family. My husband had been operated for a back problem and walked on crutches. How could he have reached the crime spot, 10 km from the Randhikpur?8221;

Sixty five-year-old Bhagu Shah, father of convict Radheshyam, said, 8220;We had faith in the CBI. Even after four years, we thought justice would be delivered but nothing worked our way.8221;

Khojema Dudhiawala, owner of a grocery shop, said, 8220;We have no problems here. We don8217;t understand what problems others may have. There is no tension and we are happy,8221; he said. But a few Muslim shop owners we talked to refused to comment 8212; clearly, this wasn8217;t the safest time to talk in Randhikpur.