Page 47 - Tehelka Issue 14E

Witch-hunt was one of LYNCHING
the eight major reasons
behind mob-lynching in
Lynching conundrum Bora, an athlete in Karbi Anglong dis- 2016, the other being justice, the fear of death reduces and they
tend to take the law into their own hands
trict in October 2014 and killing of an
road rage, extremism/
Adivasi couple in Kokrajhar district in
for instant justice,” she said.
April 2017. The couple at Palashguri
village in Kokrajhar district was sleep- Naxalism, casteism, Legal safeguards
ing in a hut when they were killed after robbery, extortion,
In the wake of mob lynching cases, social media platform WhatsApp to be precise became the genesis of their five children were tied in another Sadashib Narlekar, a Mumbai-based law-
yer who is associated with NGOs work-
misinformation, triggering panic and violence in the society. However, rumours on suspected child-lifters hut as they shouted for help. Since then rape, class conflict and ing for victims of mob violence, said
claimed the most lives, reports NANDITA SENGUPTA the five children are being taken care of political reasons although social media misuse was
in an orphanage in Nagaon district. After blamed for the recent lynching, most
being asked by Gauhati high court in It failed primarily because of opposi- rural people are unable to distinguish
he messages about “child lift- mob attack cases in rural India revealed an elderly couple at Dadgama village in 2016, the state Assembly passed an anti- tion from some religious groups that felt between fake news and the real one and
ers” swirling across many almost similar modus-operandi — be it in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, after brand- witch hunt bill, which got its nod from that the law might do away with certain get influenced quickly by such messages
social media platforms have the tea garden areas of Assam, or mining ing them to be witches, killed them and the Centre recently. ancient rites altogether. The number and jump into action — be it attacking
not only left 27 persons dead hotbeds of Jharkhand or Odisha. beheaded the lady. The gang, at least six of witch hunt attacks in the state saw a persons suspected to be child lifters or
T so far in nine states- Assam In a public interest litigation (PIL) persons barged into the house of the Odisha decline after the state brought in the Pre- those identified as witches. “A section of
Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat filed by Seema Bhuyan, a young lawyer victim, identified as Satri Munda, 55 The attack on the family of Guru Munda, vention and Eradication of Human Sac- people having knowledge of social me-
Andhra Pradesh, etc. but has left many in Gauhati high court, that sought strict and his wife Javni Devi, 50. The mob a 40-year-old tribal at Mundasahi village rifice and Other Inhuman, Evil, Aghori dia may take advantage of such situation
wonder whether social media is doing action against mob lynching, particu- threatened and assaulted their children in Keonjhar district in July 2015 is one of Practices and Black Magic Act in 2013. in order to take revenge on a person or a
more bad than good to India’s growing larly in Assam argued, “According to our when they cried in fear. Although police the chilling “witch-hunt” murders in Odi- family having a personal grudge,” he said.
number of mobile Internet users. rule of law, no person can be punished arrested the killers a few days after the sha, a state which reports second highest Root of witch-hunt lynching Similar facts came to light during an
If statistics are to be believed, mob with the authority of law. If any person gruesome attack, many in the state have witch hunt attacks after Jharkhand. Mun- As at least 12 states grapple under witch- investigation into the recent lynching
lynching is nothing new in most of these who commits a crime, he/she can be got bails due to police’s failure to gather da, his wife, Budhini, two daughters and hunt lynching, many tried to understand of two youths in Karbi Anglong district
states and has often claimed lives of punished through the procedure of substantive evidence to prove their two sons were brutally murdered in a the root causes of such a dangerous in Assam. A youth, who was identified
innocent people in the name of “witch- established by law.” involvement. The state continues to span of 30-minutes. According to police, practice. A study conducted by Partners as prime accused and arrested later told
hunt”, much before social media was However, nowadays it has been seen struggle such witch-hunt attacks, mostly although women were the focus of the for Law in Development, an NGO, witch- police that following a brief quarrel with
invented and used, although women that people often tend to go for mob triggered by superstitions prevalent in Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act, hunting is rooted in patriarchy, financial Nilotpal and Abhijit, he had called neigh-
have been the prime targets. lynching and thereby giving punishment tribal society, despite being one of the 2014, men were also found to be victims disputes, superstition and other personal bouring villagers informing that the two
The Crime in India 2016 report of Na- to a person without any legal authority seven states having a specific law to in many cases. and social conflict. More often than not, were child lifters. The villagers trusted
tional Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) un- for an offence. Preservation of life is the check witch-hunt was back in 2001. these conflicts arise out of jealousy or him and caught the duo and killed them.
der the Ministry of Home Affairs says, 134 most important right for an individual Maharashtra conflict and tension between the victim Asian Human Rights Commission,
people were murdered (mob attacked) and the state has to protect it. Such fre- Assam Maharashtra is one state that tried to and their relatives, friends or acquaint- the Hong Kong-based human rights
in “witch-craft” cases in 2016 alone, with quent incidents of mob lynching have Among several cases of witch-hunt enact a law against witch hunt and other ances. Lack of proper medical facilities organisation, said since there is no spe-
Jharkhand reporting the maximum 27 resulted in the violation of Article 14 and attacks in Assam—attack on Debjani superstitious practices some years ago. in interior areas often people resort to cific penal law criminalising mob lynch-
murder cases followed by Odisha (24), 21 of the Constitution. These kind inci- ojhas or quacks, who often blame ing in India, those taking part in such
Madhya Pradesh (19), Chattisgarh (17), Gu- dents are a blot on the face of our democ- a family or woman in a village as a activities and murder are held account-
jarat (14) and Telangana (11). Assam, Hary- racy because we have a democracy, not witch, resulting in such lynching. able under various sections of the Indian
ana, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, mobocracy in India,” she added. The ‘punishment’ meted out ranges Penal Code. “This could range from pro-
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal The PIL was filed in June this year fol- from death to being banished from visions such as Section 302 for murder,
reported rest of the cases during the year. lowing the lynching of two youths from their homes. Section 304 for culpable homicide, Sec-
Witch-hunt was one of the eight Guwahati — Nilotpal Das and Abhijit tion 307 for attempt to murder, Section
major reasons behind mob-lynching in Nath, on June 8, in a village in Karbi An- Psychologist viewpoint 323 for voluntarily causing hurt, Section
2016, the other being road rage, extrem- glong district. The two youths were beat- Apart from the poor socio-eco- 325 for voluntarily causing grievous hurt,
ism/Naxalism, casteism, robbery, extor- en to death by a mob of at least 250 peo- nomic condition of the villagers, and when it comes to crimes commit-
tion, rape, class conflict and political ple who suspected them to be childlifter. Deppanjali Medhi, an associate ted by a larger number of people, Sec-
reasons. Nilotpal and Abhijit were dragged professor of psychology of Gauhati tion 34 for common intention, Section
The number was higher in 2014, out out of their black SUV after a youth in- Medical College and Hospital said 141 for unlawful assembly and Section
of 157, 30 per cent (127) of such murders formed the villagers that two child lift- militancy, riots and violent agita- 120 B for criminal conspiracy, as well as
were reported in the tribal-dominated ers (Das and Nath) had kidnapped a boy tions and the law enforcement the relevant sections criminalizing riot-
Jharkhand followed by Odisha (32), Mad- from their Panijuri village and is taking agencies’ failure to punish those ing,” the NGO said. Meanwhile, NGOs in
hya Pradesh (24) and Chattisgarh (16), him in their car, leading to the lynching involved in such crime could have India have launched a campaign for penal
said the 2015 NCRB report. The bureau of the two. led people to take law into their laws against mob lynching under the
said 2,097 murders were committed own hands for “instant justice.” banner of National Campaign against
between 2000 and 2012 where witch WITCH HUNT CASES “When people see others being Mob Lynching.
hunting was the main reason. Jharkhand gunned down, deaths in bomb
The police investigation into most of A mob of unidentified persons attacked blasts and often victims not getting LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 46 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

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