17th July, 2018
India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to prevent mob violence and lynching across India through legislative efforts and better law enforcement.
The top court was hearing a number of petitions seeking direction on checking mob violence by Hindu cow-protection vigilantes targeting Muslims over suspicions of beef consumption and cattle slaughter.
Petitioner Tehseen Poonawalla said the judges had expanded the scope of the hearing to include the recent spate of lynching fuelled by rumours of child kidnapping on social media and women being branded as witches and killed by mobs.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked the Indian parliament to create a “special law” to deal with cases of lynching and punish offenders participating in such attacks.
The court said that “horrendous acts of mobocracy” cannot be allowed to become “the new normal” and that they had to be curbed with an iron hand.
The judges sought replies from the federal government and states on the issue and announced that the next hearing would take place on Aug. 20.
According to data analytics website IndiaSpend, as many as 33 people have been killed since last year in a series of mob lynching which police say were sparked by rumours on Whatsapp that child kidnappers were on the prowl.
Hindu-right wing groups have led campaigns and vigilante activities targeting Muslims and low-caste Dalits.
Around 30 people have been killed in such attacks since 2010.
India’s Hindu majority regards the cow as holy and its slaughter is banned in several states.