Naroda massac: The veil came off

AHMEDABAD: Theirs is a tale of guts and glory. The road to justice was an no easy road to walk, but these women witnesses in the Naroda massacre case stood strong. Kauser Bano, Shakila Bano and Nasreen Sheikh, shunned all inhibitions to testify against more than 10 convicts in the case, are women of rare mettle. Such is their story that Naroda Patia residents are mulling over ways to honour these women.
“February 28, 2002 was one of the most horrifying day of our lives. Life later was much more difficult. When I decided to become a witness for months I woke up at midnight due to a scary dream,” said Nasrin, 25. The three ladies who had hardly ventured out of their houses in their life before, becoming witnesses and ultimately proved to be vital in nailing the convicts. “In our family, women are hardly involved with legal matters. But this case needed us. Though it took a toll on our lives we didn’t back out,” said Kauser.
“A lot of people advised us otherwise and even we sensed the danger. Threats were common to all the witnesses but we promised ourselves to not be deterred and told SIT and court all that we had seen on that day,” said Shakila, 35. The trio now plans to continue working for social causes and wants to motivate women in their community to raise their voice.