Turning a blind eye to……………..

Jharkhand is a small state in eastern India and doesn’t get much attention. Whenever it has, it has got that for odd reasons. Whenever the name of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is mentioned, the reference to Jharkhand is obvious, he hails from the same state. Yes, few years back the state was in focus when Laloo Yadav, former chief minister of neighboring state Bihar had to appear for a court case.

Last week, one picture from the state left India in a state of shock! It was followed by a video of the same incidence that was available on the social networking sites, it was appalling and sent chill down the spine.

In the last photographs taken of Mohammed Naeem, he is seen pleading to a group of villagers as blood trickles down from his head. Half of his body is soaked in blood. His shirt perhaps has been ripped away, and other marks on his body suggest that he was thrashed badly. His folded hands and facial expressions do suggest that he has been trying to convince the people surrounding him that he is innocent. He landed up in this condition due to a message circulated on mobile application what’sapp. The message sparked off a string of lynching.  The message prompted villagers, mostly unsuspecting tribal, into believing that their children may be targeted by abduction gangs. “…Suspected child lifters are carrying sedatives, injections, spray, cotton and small towels. They speak Hindi, Bangla and Malayali. If you happen to see any stranger near your house immediately inform local police as he could be a member of the child lifting gang,” the message in Hindi said. Villagers in three districts of Jharkhand picked up weapons and were attacking strangers since the rumor started spreading leading to death of seven people. Mob violence once again!

In the name of “Immediate Justice”, mobs have awarded it all. From suspicion of Love Jihad (also called Romeo Jihad) cow slaughter to beef in the refrigerators and now “child lifters”, India has seen it all. India has witnessed a spate of medieval style lynching in the last three year. Self styled righteous groups, in the name of protecting Hindu “sisters” from Muslim boys and protecting cows have spread a reign of terror in many parts of India. They get a free hand in BJP ruled states.  From Mohammad   Akhlaq’s murder in Dadri in 2015 to Pehlu Khan’s lynching in Rajasthan last month; from the 1015 Dimapur lynching, where a rape suspect was killed by a mob in Nagaland, to two men being lynched on suspicion of being “cattle thieves” in Assam, mob justice and murder as a mean of settling score, as a public spectacle has become the norm in India.

Shockingly, most of these incidents have not been able to draw much response from the ruling establishment, there by encouraging the splinter groups. Such public display of violence is not only symbolic of the complete failure of the rule of the law, but also give an impression that such groups are not the misguided ones. Rather they have been directed to carry out such attacks with cops under instructions to not interfere till the job is done. The perpetrators have now grown to believe that the law will never catch up with them. The ruling party at the Centre has only added fuel to the fire by keeping mum on such attacks. Some of its elected representatives have even justified such crimes.

They came in the disguise of “Karsevaks” in 1992 when the Babri row was at its peak, this time they come as self proclaimed groups with swords, atop motorbikes. Invariably they are groups constituting of high class majority and Dalit and Muslims are targeted for flimsy reasons. Reasons that are non-existing, actions that cause infinite damage not only to those affected but also to the standing of India as a socialist democratic republic. From one violent attack to another, carrying out “justice in their own way”, the vigilante mob is here to stay. Till the authorities change their stance …. from mere spectators to …………………..!