In a very surprising revelation by Manjit Singh Rai, Member of the National Commission for Minorities, on July 24, Wednesday said that no case of mob lynching has been registered with the commission. The official, however, assured that appropriate action will be initiated against the culprits if any such case comes before it.
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“Till now, we have not got any case pertaining to mob lynching. If such a case comes to us, then we will certainly summon the concerned department. It is the work of the Home Department to issue an advisory,” Rai said, quoted media reports.
The statement followed a comment by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy, during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha where he said that the mob lynching across the country has no common pattern.
He also said that the government was serious about tackling the issue. “Available data shows that there is no common pattern of mob lynching and incidents have happened in different states at different times. Incidents have happened in different states ruled by different political parties,” the Minister said.
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Earlier, in the Rajya Sabha, the Leader of Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad, had raised this concern on the increase in the number of incidents related to lynching and violence against minority communities and Dalits in the last five years. He also claimed that the numbers on television are misleading but the messages circulating on social media platforms like Whatsapp reveal how minorities across India have been forced to chant slogans by members associated with a political party, and the Centre has taken no step to curb the situation.
Meanwhile, when Manjit Singh Rai spoke to the reporters after chairing a meeting of district officials on the issues related with the implementation of schemes for minorities. He said that strict action would be taken against the culprits of the violence. “We will take strict action if any case of exploitation or ill-treatment of minorities comes to us. Releasing advisory regarding issues such as mob lynching of minorities is the work of home ministry. We are only here to do the work which is allocated to us”, Singh said.
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He also directed the law enforcement agencies to work meticulously on the issues related to minorities and should seriously act on such issues which come forward through social media. “If any controversial post regarding minorities appears on Facebook, Whatsapp or other similar platforms, it requires immediate action. Strict legal action must be taken against those who make such stuff viral”, he said.
The issue of mob lynching was taken forward in Rajya Sabha in reference with a lot of mob lynching incidents which take place on a day to day basis in the country. The lynchings by mobs take place for various reasons including that of cattle theft where the murders happen in the name of cow protection. There are very recent cases where the lynching took place of victims, purportedly, who refused to chant “Jai Shri ram”, “Jai Mata Di” and “Jai Hanuman”.
It is very depressing to learn such incidents, however, it is also seen as a conspiracy to spoil Hindus and ignite religious disturbance. It is not a matter of religion but a matter which requires law against the perpetrators to curb such mob lynching incidents.
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