Govt forms panel on mob lynchings amid political spat

SC to hear contempt plea against Raj govt

NEWDELHI/ALWAR: The Centre constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) on Monday to deal with rising incidents of mob lynching, even as a Rajasthan probe panel said there were lapses by the state police in taking an alleged cow smuggler to hospital after he was beaten up by vigilantes in Alwar, an incident that has triggered a political slugfest between the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It also formed a high-level committee, headed by home secretary Rajiv Gauba, that will submit its recommendation to the GoM led by home minister Rajnath Singh, a government statement said. The GoM consists of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and social justice and empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.

The announcements came a week after the Supreme Court asked the central government to enact a law to deal with incidents of lynching and mob violence.

The apex court said on Monday it will hear a contempt plea against the Rajasthan government for violating court directives in the Alwar case. The matter will be heard on August 20.

The panel headed by Gauba will have secretaries of the justice, legal affairs, legislative, and social justice and empowerment departments. It will submit its recommendations to the GoM within four weeks.

This is Modi’s brutal ‘New India’ where humanity is replaced with hatred and people are crushed and left to die. RAHUL GANDHI, Congress president You divide society for electoral gains and then shed crocodile tears. Enough is enough. You are a merchant of hate. PIYUSH GOYAL, Union minister