decidedto invoke theNationalSe-
curityAct againstthreemenaccused
of killinga cowat Khandwa.
In July2018,the SupremeCourt
issueda strongcondemnationof the
risein vigilantismin India.A bench
headedby ChiefJusticeDipakMisra
described suchincidents as “hor-
rendous actsof mobocracy”anddir-
ectedParliamentto enacta newlaw
withprovisionsfor deterrent punish-
mentforoffenders. In September
2018,thecourtsoughtreportsfrom
several States indicating whether
theyhadcompliedwithits verdict.
Theapexcourtalsoinstructedthe
Centreto runan awarenesscam-
paignon television, radioandelec-
tronic and print media against
lynchingandcowvigilantismand
subsequentlyquestioned the govern-
menton theprogressmadeon that
front.
Buttheviolencecontinued un-
abated.On June18, threeweeksafter
Modireturnedto powerwithan even
moreresoundingmandatethanthe
onein 2014,a 24-year-oldman,Tab-
rezAnsari,wastiedto a poleand
thrashedwithsticksby a mobin
Jharkhand’s Seraikela Kharsawan
district. He laterdiedof his injuries.
Reportsof Muslimmenbeingforced
to chantJaiShriRamandbeing
beatenup for theirrefusal to do so
havelittered newspaperpagesand
thesocial media in thepastfew
months.
Thisis thecontext of thepro-
posedamendment in Madhya Pra-
desh. However, sources told
Frontlinethatthereweremurmurs
withintheState Congressoverthe
“mildness of the provision”. Thepun-
ishment of six months to threeyears
for participatingin mobhatecrimes
wasnotenough to deter thevigil-
antes,saida source in the StateCon-
gress.Besides, there wasno effortto
fast-track trials in suchcases.The
proposed amendment was not
enoughto reassurethe State’sminor-
itiesandwouldonlybackfire on the
Congress,the source said.
Kamal Nath was reportedly
questionedon the utilityof the latest
exercisein a recentmeetingwith
somepartylegislators. “Several legis-
latorstoldtheChiefMinister that
theyweredisappointedwiththe pro-
posedamendment,which,in their
mind,woulddo littleto containmob
violence.Theytoldhim thatonlya
stringent lawwithprovisionsof life
imprisonment couldabatethe rising
graph of suchcrimes across the
country. ArifMasood,MLAfrom
BhopalMadhyaconstituency,was
vocalabout it. TheChiefMinister
listenedto everyonepatientlybut did
not make any comment,” said a
sourcein the Stategovernment.DEMANDSIN PARLIAMENT
Thedemandfor a lawagainstlynch-
ingcameup in theRajyaSabha in
July2018.LokSabha MPs deman-
dedthatsuchkillingsbe probedby a
Supreme Courtjudge.Mallikarjun
Kharge,thethenleader of theCon-
gressin theLokSabha,pointedout
thatlynchingshadassumedominous
dimensions.Rajnath Singh,whowas
HomeMinisterthen, said in re-
sponseto oppositionquestionsthat
thegovernment hadset up a high-
levelpanelheaded by UnionHome
Secretary RajivGaubato formulate
appropriatemeasuresto dealwith
lynchings.
A yearhaspassed butnotmuch
hashappened.
Manipuris the onlyStateso far to
comeup withsomepath-breaking
initiatives.It has passeda law against
lynchingthatcovers many formsof
hatecrimes: “anyact or series of actsof violenceor aiding,abetting such
act/actsthereof,whetherspontan-
eousor planned,by a mobon the
groundsof religion,race,caste,sex,
place of birth, language, dietary
practices,sexualorientation,polit-
icalaffiliation, ethnicityor anyother
relatedgrounds”.Thislawalsopen-
alisesderelictionof dutyby public
officialswhofailto protect vulner-
ablesections.It laysdownthatif “any
policeofficer directlyin charge of
maintaininglawandorder in an
area,omitsto exerciselawfulauthor-
ity vested in themunderthelaw,
without reasonable cause, and
therebyfails to prevent lynching
shallbe guilty of derelictionof duty”
andwillbe liable“to punishment of
imprisonment of oneyear,which
mayextendto threeyears,andwith
fine thatmayextendtofifty thousand
rupees”.
Jharkhand, whichhasattracted
notorietywitha spateof lynchings,is
yet to comeout witha separatelaw to
dealwiththecrime.When thisre-
porterasked AjayKumar,mediaad-
viser to ChiefMinisterRaghubar
Das,whetheranylawagainstlynch-
ingwasbeingconsidered,he direc-
tedthequestionto HomeSecretary
SukhdevSingh.Hehimselfwould
onlysay thatan amendmenthad
beenmadeto an existing lawto cover
mobviolence. SukhdevSinghwas
unavailablefor comment.
Maharashtra, wherefive persons
werelynchedin Dhuledistrictin July
2018,hascleared the decks for com-
pensating families of lynchingvic-
timsto thetuneof Rs.2,00,000to
Rs.3,00,000andevenRs.10,00,000
in somecases.
OnJuly2, therewasa massive
congregationof membersof minor-
ity communitiesat the martyrs’me-
morialin Malegoan. In responseto a
callgivenby JamiatUlema,a non-
governmentalorganisation,around
onelakhMuslimsaccompaniedby a
largenumberof peoplefromdiffer-
ent socialandreligious backgrounds
gatheredat the historicsite.Thiswas
essentially thefirst rallyto drawat-
tentionto the needfor a separatelaw
to curblynchingsandensure meticu-
lousprosecutionleading to convic-
A.M. tion. $FARUQUI