What is the issue?
- Supreme Court (SC) has recently highlighted the intolerance and bias behind the series of mob lynching incidences.
- It has called for a special law to deal with lynching comprehensively.
What are trends in mob violence over the recent years?
- Since 2014, organised vigilant groups had gone on rampage against cattle traders in the name of cow protection.
- Notably, the Supreme Court had previously reminded the central and state governments that they can’t be mere spectators to violent acts by cow mobs.
- But mob vigilantism has taken a new dimension in recent times with impulsive and unplanned acts of violence being directed at unsuspecting outsiders.
- It is alleged that rumours on social media sites that “child kidnappers” are frequenting localities is said to have caused the current spree of incidences.
- Whenever residents see an outsider against whom there is an already inherent biased perception, they tend to unleash a fatal fury on them.
- Vigilant violence in a socio-political framework is clearly linked to disrespect for an inclusive social order, rising intolerance and growing polarisation.
- The SC’s has therefore spelt out a clear criticism of the “prevalent socio-political mood of the society”, which it thinks is causing mob violence.
What has the court suggested?
- Supreme Court has asked all States to appoint nodal officers in each district to curb such mobs and also plug the spread of misinformation.
- Besides directing specific preventive, punitive and remedial measures, the SC has also mooted the idea of making lynching a separate offence by law.
- While this may not be a significant deterrence in legal terms, it helps in reiterating the message that mob lynching is indeed a serious offence.
- Any new law needs to comprehensively address the issue by encompassing the actual mob, and accessory criminals like - rumour mongers, and instigators.
- While the extent of punishments for each of those responsible for the incident is another issue, all those involved nonetheless need to be indicted.
Source: The Hindu
