Recently, two
people were lynched and murdered by a mob in cold blood, in the Palgarh district
of Maharashtra.
That’s right.
Two people. Not Sadhus. Not Hindus. Not Brahmins. Just two people.
(Source: The Organiser)
Two people
with lives, dreams, aspirations, a past, and a future. All of that cut short
and ended within a few seconds, just like that.
I wish I could
say this was a one-time thing, but sadly it’s not. In fact, it can’t even be
classified as rare, or even occasional.
Remember our
Class 6 SST textbooks? Where we read about Unity in Diversity? About how India
is an amalgamation of several different cultures and religions, living together
peacefully. Yeah, no.
Mob lynching
involves a group of violent people attacking and lynching a person or a
group of persons, amounting to a hate crime, on the lines of religious
violence, caste-based discrimination and targeting of a particular community.
Of all the types of lynchings that have been happening in
India, the most popular and common is cow-related violence. According to a
report by Reuters, cow-based lynching has increased by leaps and bounds since
the Modi government has come into power in 2014. Over 124 people have been
injured in such incidents between 2014 and 2017 alone.
(Source: The Wire)
Now, the question is, is Modi responsible? That’s not such
an easy question to answer. Is he causing the lynchings? No. But, he is definitely
guilty of not condemning them and not taking strict action against them. He is
definitely guilty of apathy, of treating the issue like it doesn’t matter, of
politicizing the issue, of making this a communal issue.
Let’s get this straight once and for all: the religion of
the people who did the lynching or those who got lynched does not matter. And this
is something we all need to understand.
For those who say Hindus are responsible for cow-based
violence, does that mean Muslims are responsible for ISIS and the 9/11?
For those who are blaming Muslims for the recent Palghar
lynching, does that mean it was Hindus who killed all those people on the mere
suspicion that they were smuggling cows?
Repeat after me: Actions performed by misguided
individuals who believe they are performing God’s work are not representative
of the religion.
(Source: Analysis of the Radical Right)
Lynchings are not the work of Muslims, Dalits, or Brahmins. They
are the work of animals and murderers, and it is time we begin treating them as
such.
The Palghar lynching, or any lynching before that, should not
be made into a political, communal, or casteist issue.
However, cow-related lynchings are not the only kind of
lynchings. On 27th June 2019, in Patna, a driver he lost control over
the vehicle and moved on the footpath. In retaliation, he was beaten to death
by a mob.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW!!
(Source: India Legal)
On August 4, 2019, 2
people were attacked in Patna on suspicions of child theft. One of them died.
Lynchings are also common due to witch-hunting. A report
claims that over 2,000 lives were lost all over India due to witch hunting.
Not only this, but even administrative officers and police
officers have been attacked and killed. Police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh
was shot dead in the head in Uttar Pradesh on the 3rd of
December 2018.
Incidents like this show that no one is really safe. But,
coming back to the main question, whose fault is it?
A major proportion of the blame lies with State governments
for their inaction whenever cases like this occur. Governments are too busy trying
to gain a political advantage using the issue that finding the killer(s) takes
the backseat.
(Source: Jesuits Ireland)
This is exactly what happened in the Palghar incident. The opposition
party BJP, which is the self-proclaimed messiah of Hindus, was quick to question
the government and communalise the issue, without any help at all. In BJP ruled
states, the opposition parties do the same. The religion, caste, gender, or any
other factor that can be used to the political advantage is identified, and
then the blame game starts. Among all this, the true victim is forgotten, and
the killers go scot free.
Since the issue of mob lynchings is usually ignored by Modi
and the Central government unless it suits them politically, state governments
have had to come up with their own solutions for the same. Rajasthan, for one,
has passed an anti-mob lynching bill in 2019. In case the victim dies, it provides
for a fine of 5 lakhs in addition to life imprisonment for the convicts. The Mamata
Banerjee led government in West Bengal has also passed a similar law aiming to “provide
effective protection of the Constitutional rights of vulnerable persons and to
prevent the lynching” of anyone. The law also has a provision for the death
sentence in case the victim dies.
(Source: The Milli Chronicle)
So, what is the key takeaway for the day? That the religion,
caste, or gender doesn’t matter in case of a mob lynching. The only thing that
matters is that an innocent life was taken, and the punishment ought to be delivered
accordingly. In a country that considers Gandhi to be the “Father of the Nation”,
it is indeed shameful that we have so many lynchings.
As Diogenes has rightly said, “The mob is the mother of tyranny”
and it is time we get rid of this tyranny once and for all.
Spread love not hate!
Jai Hind!
-NK
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