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India = "lynchocracy”?

July 10, 2017 | Expert Insights

Last month, about 2000 people were protesting in Delhi and several across India against rising attacks on Muslims and Dalits by vigilante cow protection groups. Protests were also being held in 15 other cities as well as in London.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi said murder in the name of cow protection is "not acceptable". Hours after his comments, a Muslim man was reportedly killed by a mob who accused him of transporting beef in his car.

Hindu nationalist governance

Under PM Modi's Hindu nationalist governance, the cow has become a polarising animal and religious divisions are widening. Restrictions on the sale and slaughter of cows are creating confusion and vigilantism. The recent spate of lynching in India have disturbed many. Muslim men have been murdered by Hindu mobs, for allegedly storing beef.

Using data gleaned from news reports, some have argued that such hate crimes have increased since Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power. Party chief Amit Shah has refuted such assertions, saying there were more incidents of lynching when the previous Congress government was in power.

Analysis

The “streak of underlying violence in India's public culture", and since Independence, "political violence has been supplemented by flashes of mob violence aimed at either settling scores or securing justice".

Sanjay Subrahmanyam, India’s provocative historians spoke about the cultural history of violence in India. He told in an interview that there are three acts of violence: pogroms, (violent riots aimed at the massacre or persecution of an ethnic or religious group) mob violence, and killings to defend social norms.

A majority community targets a minority, and the violence takes place on a sizeable scale, in an orgiastic mode. Mob violence usually comprise acts on a small scale, which claim to deliver vigilante justice, because the forces of law are feeble and undependable.

When a prominent journalist said India was becoming a "lynchocracy", critics immediately took to social media to say that India had a long history of mob and religious violence and liberals were exaggerating the import of the recent murders.

Vetran BJP leader, Yashwant Sinha said with strong disapproval of the recent spate of lynchings in the name of cow protection, such incidents create a bad image for the country abroad and serve as disincentive for foreign investments.

Assessment

Our assessment is that, this case is similar to the one with the lynching of young black people in the US, killings of young couples who transgress caste boundaries in India, the killing of women branded as 'witches', and now the killing of those who are on the wrong side of the beef analogy. We believe that this also could be an expression of deep frustration of people because of lack of jobs and disturbed frame of mind which results in highly provocative behaviour.  

It can be curbed by enforcing the law strictly, and punishing the perpetrators. Lynching is because of the perceived weakness of the law to deliver what it promises. People who do the crime knows what they are doing is illegal, but still feel it is righteous.