Don’t ‘normalise’ mob violence as routine...
ago, photos and videos of resident doctors being brutally beaten in a government hospital in Dhule, Maharashtra, made a splash in social media. As happens so often, the voices of agitating doctors were heard for a few days. Then the public lost interest. Or it was back to normal.
Despite myriad examples of public anger erupting into mob violence, we as a society have not collectively and unequivocally condemned it. That has perhaps been the most important reason why we see such attacks happening with increasing frequency and sometimes even being given some sort of pseudo-legitimacy by officials who should know better.
The many instances of vigilantism in the name of protecting the cow have only added to the sordid saga of mob fury and mass apathy. The savagery is fast losing its sting because it is so repetitive. And each act of mob violence is emboldening mobs elsewhere, undermining the rule of law that holds society together.
As thresholds of tolerance continue to plummet, it is important to ask whether these worrying trends can be reversed. And if so, how?
How do we stop mob violence at its source? The one-line short answer is, don’t normalise it.
The starting point has to be by collectively saying what may seem obvious — it is illegal to hurt someone, leave alone kill someone. A mob can’t take the law into its hands, no matter
We must prod everyone who is a social influencer at any level to speak out boldly against mob violence and ensure that such voices of reason are protected and not confronted by threats of violent retribution... what. The political leadership, from Parliament to panchayat, as well as the law and order machinery, have to send out strong signals that there will be zero tolerance for unlawful acts. This has to be enforced. If vigilante action is simply forbidden, and if each and every instance of vigilantism is punished in accordance with the law of the land, we can and we will avoid even beginning the cycle that leads to mob violence. But the point to note here — there can’t be exceptions.
Next, we must prod everyone who is a social influencer at any level to speak out boldly against mob violence and we must ensure that such voices of reason are protected and not confronted by threats of violent retribution.
Who eggs on a lynch mob? Who struck the first blow that eventually claimed the lives of the two young men in Assam and so many before them? It may be convenient and comforting to think that only the uneducated or the poor take to mob justice. But facts on the ground do not support that narrative. The lynch mob in Dimapur included school and college students. Those who sympathised with such a mob include people in positions of power.
Middle class India is understandably shaken by the growing numbers of mob assaults. But simply worrying about the phenomenon will not lead us anywhere. There is a need to speak up so that a lynch mob is not formed in the first place, and mob violence is not normalised. Simultaneously, one must fight for better-trained and better-equipped police forces, more judges and more courts so that the people’s faith in the rule of law is restored.
The writer focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies. She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com