Cases of mob lynching are becoming a piece of national news these days in India. Mob Lynching is the activity of a group where they physically assualt or do any kind of violence at a particular individual. Cases of mob lynching in India are on a rise. As responsible citizens of the country, it becomes our responsibility to know every detail about it and try to prevent this act of violence as well. In this article we will discuss the definition, causes, types, charges by the Indian Constitution, how can Mob lynching be stopped and steps taken to minimise mob lynching in India.
What is Mob Lynching?
Mob lynching is the act of violence by a group of people towards an individual. Lynching is the act of killing an individual by a group of people, especially by hanging. By now you must have understood that the act of mob lynching is an offense against the human body. It might also involve destroying property which affects the people as a society and as an individual. The act of mob lynching takes place because the group believes that the individual who did something wrong is not punished by the law properly. Thus, they come together to form a mob and take the law into their own hands and punish the victim. The Supreme Court of India referred to mob lynching as a ‘horrendous act of mobocracy.’
What Are The Causes Of Mob Lynching?
Here we have listed down some of the common reasons why the act of mob lynching takes place.
- Intolerance: When people become intolerant in accepting the acts of law and decide to punish the alleged person, it shows their intolerance and impatience towards the mechanism of the judicial system. They assume the act to be immoral thus takes matters into their own hands.
- Biases: There are biases in people’s minds based on various identities like caste, class, religion, etc. The hate crime of mob lynching is rising because of the biases or prejudices among various castes, classes of people, and religions.
- Vigilante: Vigilance is when people decide to keep a close eye on certain activities. It can be related to caste, religion, or even a particular event. Vigilance leads to agitation among the masses which gives birth to a rise in mob lynching activities.
- Lack of Speedy Justice: When the working of justice rendering authorities becomes inefficient and people start losing faith in it, they decide to take the matter into their own hands. They do not have any fear of the consequences in such cases.
- The Inefficiency of Police Administration: Police Department plays an important role in protecting the life of an individual. Every individual is guaranteed the right to life by the state. It is the duty of the police to maintain harmony among the people. However, due to their ineffective investigation procedure, mob lynching is rising day by day.
Types of Mob-lynching
Mob-Lynching is based on the causes that can be classified into five types. They are as follows.
- Communal-based
- Witchcraft
- Honour killing
- Bovine-related mob lynching
- Suspicion of Child lifting
- Theft cases
Charges by the Indian Constitution
Here is the list of charges that is applicable to the perpetrators of mob lynching.
- Mob lynching is a violation of human dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. It is also a gross infringement of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Mob lynching violates the Right to Equality and Prohibition of discrimination, which comes under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India.
- However, it is nowhere mentioned in the law of the land. Hence, it is simply put as murder since it has not been yet merged under the Indian Penal Code.
How can Mob Lynching be Stopped?
Mob lynchings are a disgrace to any society and should not find any place in a democratic society, on which India prides itself to be. Here are some ways in which this form of hate crime can be put to rest.
- Lynchings are uniquely unsettling disorganization of governance. The act of mob violence is itself a sign of failure of law enactment. It is committed in an apparent consideration that there can be no legal alternative than the citizens losing faith in the judicial system and taking matters into their own hands.
- All this brings bad publicity to the country. Mob violence defames a country on an international level. It may affect the people living abroad and even the foreigners thinking of settling in a country. There must be strict intervention by the police to bring an end to mob lynching.
- Protest against a particular event or person or organization or cause is a right of every citizen. But such protests should be peaceful and undisturbing in nature. The police again have an important role to play here.
- The lawmakers of the country also have a role to play in questioning the social consent that allows mob lynching or any such form of violence.
Impact of Mob Lynching
Not just one but various stakeholders of the country suffers because of an act of violence.
- Society: It impacts society negatively. Mob Lynching provokes anger between different groups of people and deteriorates the socio-economic environment of the country.
- Economy: It impacts the economy in both foreign and domestic aspects. Internal migration might get hampered due to mob lynching. A foreigner might cancel their trip to visit or plans to settle in the country. It also hampers investment as investors want to invest in a safe and secured economy.
- Individual: To the individuals, it is a bane both physically and mentally. People who are a part of the mob lynching are severely hurt and those who are a victim of the act also get hurt severely and might even die in some cases. There is a loss of life and property. It also has an adverse effect on the mental health of the population.
Steps Taken
Some steps have been taken in this direction
- Preventive Measures: In July 2017, the Supreme Court in the case of Tahseen s. Poonawala v. Union of India had laid down several preventive, remedial, and punitive measures regarding lynching and mob violence.
- Designated Fast Track Courts: States were asked to set up designated fast track courts in every district that would only deal with cases of mob lynchings.
- Special Task Force: The court had also asked for the setting up of a special task force. They will procure intelligence reports about the people involved in spreading hate speeches, provocative statements, and fake news which could lead to mob lynchings.
- Victim Compensation Schemes: The court also directed the setting up of Victim compensation schemes for relief and rehabilitation of victims.
- Laws related to Mob Lynching: Currently only three states (Manipur, West Bengal, and Rajasthan) have enacted laws against mob lynching. However, the Jharkhand Assembly has passed the Prevention of Mob Violence and Mob Lynching Bill, 2021.
We hope that you now know everything about Mob Lynching In India. Read these articles on our website as well!
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Mob Lynching In India – FAQs
Communal-based, Witchcraft, Honour killing, Bovine-related mob lynching, Suspicion of Child lifting, and Theft cases are the types of mob lynching.
The people become intolerant in accepting the acts of law and decide to punish the alleged person. They assume the act to be immoral and thus take matters into their own hands.
There is a loss of life and property. It also has an adverse effect on the mental health of the population.
There must be strict intervention by the police to bring an end to mob lynching. The lawmakers of the country also have a role to play in questioning the social consent that allows mob lynching or any such form of violence.
Mob lynching is a violation of human dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. It also violates the Right to Equality and Prohibition of discrimination, which comes under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India.