THE MENACING GROWTH OF MOB LYNCHING: A STUDY IN INDIAN LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

During the past few years, India is facing an unprecedented crisis of mob lynching which has aptly been described by the Hon'ble Supreme Court Judges in a recent case as "horrendous acts of mobocracy".  Lynching phenomenon is not new in Indian context but recent spurt in the lynching incidents is not only surprising but utterly shocking indeed for any person who believes in democratic principles". Lynching is a social act," says Prof. Bhaskar Chakravorty, Dean of Global Business at the Fletcher School of Tufts University. He further elaborates that" It is not new, but it happens more readily when more people believe in some common cause and fewer people have the counter-facts to pose an objection. The fervour of the lynch mobs was largely facilitated by social media, which efficiently delivered rumours to solidify a "common cause."  So, the big difference between the lynching phenomenon of the past and the present acts is the role of social media of which WhatsApp is most notable. 

Our country is witnessing mainly two forms of mob lynching. First, in the  name of cow protection vigilantism in which "strident gau raksha sloganeering has contributed to the environment where people believe they can get away with violence in the name of the cow, so have the stiff cow slaughter prohibitions framed by different state governments - which seem to equate the taking of animal and human lives". The other type, which is prevalent during the past few months, is associated with rumours of kidnapping of children to harvest their organs. In both types of lynching acts, dozens of people have lost their lives who were innocent and poor. As mentioned earlier, in the latter case rumour mongering was done largely through the use of social media platforms like WhatsApp and Twitter.